Award-winning Canadian poet to speak at Lakehead University
Gary Geddes
October 5, 2015 – Orillia, ON
Award-winning Canadian poet Gary Geddes will visit Lakehead University’s Orillia campus this week for a reading and discussion. The event takes place on Thursday, October 8 from 1 to 2:15 pm and is open to the public.
Geddes will read from his 2014 collection, What Does a House Want?, followed by a question and answer discussion. Selections to be read from the collection include not only short poems, but dramatic monologues as well.
Originally from British Columbia, Geddes has travelled and worked all over Canada and across the world. His long list of professional accomplishments includes university professor, writer-in-residence, critic, anthologist, translator, author, and editor. Geddes has been the recipient of countless awards for his work, most notably receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence in 2008.
“It isn’t every day that such a seasoned and prolific writer comes to town, so it is an incredibly exciting experience for the Lakehead University community,” said Dr. Cheryl Lousley, associate professor with the English department.
Geddes has been described as one of Canada’s best political poets. “His travels to South and Central America, China, Palestine, and war-torn areas of Africa give shape to his many award-winning prose and poetry books,” added Lousley. “We are fortunate to have this seasoned traveller, poetic craftsman, and human rights advocate share his work with us.”
The reading, which is sponsored by the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts, will take place at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus at 500 University Avenue, 1 – 2:15 pm in room 1022, Simcoe Hall. Members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend.
– 30 –
MEDIA: For more information, please contact Communications Officer, Kathy Hunt, at 705-330-4008 ext. 2014 or kjhunt3@lakeheadu.ca.
In 2015, Lakehead University will celebrate 50 years of exceptional education. Guided by its Strategic Plan (2013-2018), Lakehead is known for providing an education focused on independent thinking, unconventional scholarship, and a close sense of community. About 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff learn and work in ten faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies.
Maclean’s 2015 University Rankings places Lakehead University 2nd in Ontario and among Canada’s Top 10 undergraduate universities, and 1st among Ontario’s undergraduate universities for Total Research Dollars, Social Sciences & Humanities Grants, and Library Expenses. In 2014, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead 2nd in Ontario and 3rd among Canada’s undergraduate universities.
Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.