By Susan Williamson, Palm Beach Poetry Festival

During National Poetry Month, The Palm Beach Poetry Festival will co-sponsor a reading by poet, Mary Oliver, Saturday April 9, 2011 at 7:30 pm at Lynn University’s Wold Performing Arts Center in Boca Raton, Florida. The reading, Q&A and book signing is presented by the Palm Beach Poetry Festival in partnership with Lynn University during National Poetry Month.

U.S. Poet Laureate, Stanley Kunitz, said, “Mary Oliver’s poetry is fine and deep; it reads like a blessing. Her special gift is to connect us with our sources in the natural world, its beauties and terrors and mysteries and consolations.” Oliver’s evocative and precise imagery brings nature into clear focus, transforming the everyday world into a place of magic and discovery.

Mary Oliver’s lyrical connection to the natural world has firmly established her in the highest realm of American poets. Among her countless distinctions are the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. The New York Times describes her as “far and away, this country’s best-selling poet.”

Oliver has published 27 books of poetry, including Pulitzer-prize winning American Primitive (1984) and New and Selected Poems (1992), winner of the National Book Award. Over the past two decades, Oliver has taught at Case Western Reserve, Bucknell, Sweet Briar College, the University of Cincinnati and Bennington College in Vermont.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to experience the work of one of America’s most beloved and esteemed poets, to join the Q&A discussion, and have Mary Oliver sign one of her books for you.

Tickets are $15. Order online, or by phone at 561-237-9000, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Save The Dates: The 8th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival will be held January 16-21, 2012 at Old School Square Cultural Arts Center in Delray Beach, Florida. Featured poets will be announced during National Poetry Month.  The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is graciously supported by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.