News Release

By MARY CATHERINE HENDRIX
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- Robert Hass, former poet laureate of the United States, will be the 2005 Morgan Writer-in-Residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill March 22.

Hass will discuss his work and give a free public reading at 7:30 p.m. in Carroll Hall.

An English professor at the University of California at Berkeley, Hass has published several books of poetry, including "Field Guide," "Praise," "Human Wishes" and "Sun Under Wood." He also has published a book of essays on poetry: "Twentieth Century Pleasures."

"Poet Robert Hass is an extraordinary American literary figure, a master teacher in many ways. We are delighted to have him with us this spring," said Bland Simpson, director of the creative writing program in the department of English.

In addition to his public reading, Hass will meet with undergraduate creative writing students and faculty in classes and conversation sessions.

Hass co-translated many of the works of the Nobel Prize-winning Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz and edited "The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson and Issa" and "Poet’s Choice: Poems for Everyday Life." He also edited "Selected Poems: 1954-1986," by Thomas Transtromer.

He has received the MacArthur "genius" Fellowship, two National Book Critics Circle Awards (1984 and 1997) and the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award in 1973.

As poet laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997, Hass battled illiteracy and promoted environmentalism. He organized conferences such as Watershed, a gathering of writers and environmentalists who teach children growing up in the inner city about the nation’s long tradition of nature writing.

His deep commitment to the environment led Hass to found River of Words, an organization that promotes environmental and arts education in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book. As chairman of the River of Words board of directors, Hass judges the organization’s annual international environmental poetry and art contest for youth.

The North American Association on Environmental Education recently chose Hass as Educator of the Year, and he was the guest editor of the 2001 edition of "Best American Poetry."

Hass’ visit to UNC is sponsored by the department of English, which is a component of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Morgan Writer-in-Residence Program, established in 1993 by alumni Allen and Musette Morgan of Memphis, Tenn., to bring writers of distinction to campus.

Previous Morgan writers have included Shelby Foote, Annie Dillard, Beth Henley, Richard Ford, Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove, Richard Wilbur, Russell Banks, John Edgar Wideman, Tobias Wolff and Calvin Trillin.

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(Hendrix, of Durham, is a UNC senior double major in psychology and journalism and mass communication.)

Photo note: A photo of Hass is available by clicking on http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/visiting/hass_robert.jpg

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Dee Reid, (919) 843-6339 or deereid@unc.edu

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu