Queens College Will Host April 19 Reading by Poet and Veteran Brian Turner in Honor of National Poetry Month
—Will Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the War in Iraq—
What: Brian Turner, an award-winning poet and veteran, will read from his work, sharing poetry about his war experiences, and will answer questions moderated by fellow writer Jasper Lo. The event, which is open to the public, is part of the Spring 2023 Reading Series hosted by the Queens College MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation. The reading will commemorate both the 20th anniversary of the war in Iraq and the annual celebration of National Poetry Month.
Turner, who holds a BA from Fresno State University and an MFA from the University of Oregon, served seven years in the U.S. Army—first in Bosnia-Herzegovina, then in Iraq, where he was an infantry team leader. He is well known for his writings on war. Winner of the 2007 Poets Prize, he is the author of five collections of poetry, including Here, Bullet (which received the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award) and Phantom Noise (shortlisted for the 2010 T. S. Eliot Prize) as well as the memoir My Life as a Foreign Country. He is currently director of the MFA program at Sierra Nevada College. Turner has received prestigious fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Lannan Foundation, United States Artists, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Who: Brian Turner will read from his work. Moderator Jasper Lo is a poet who served four years in the U.S. Army; his work focuses on violence, dislocation, and food. An alumnus of the college’s MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation program, he is a fact checker at The New Yorker and was formerly a metro reporter at the New York Daily News.
When: Wednesday, April 19, at 7 pm
Where: Queens College | Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Klapper Hall |65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, NY | Directions | Campus Map
Visitors to campus are asked to check in with Main Gate Public Safety officers at the Kissena Boulevard entrance and present a valid state-issued ID for access.
Background
Queens College is a Military-Friendly School that admits many veterans, offering a number of programs to assist them with entering college life, navigating financial challenges, and succeeding academically. The Spring 2023 Reading Series is part of an annual celebration of writers and writing sponsored by the Queens College MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation. Directed by poet Nicole Cooley, the academic program trains writers in four areas—poetry, fiction, playwriting, and literary translation—with an emphasis on workshops, theory, and deep reading in literature. The program emphasizes community and encourages diversity of backgrounds and experience.
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