Arts

Poetry Caldwell with Adrian Rice January 12

Poetry Caldwell will host Northern Irish poet Adrian Rice at Caldwell Arts Council (CAC), in Lenoir, on Saturday, January 12, at 2 p.m. (rescheduled from November 24). Rice will read from his latest book, The Strange Estate: New & Selected Poems 1986–2017. Following the reading, local writers will have an opportunity to share during an open mic period.

“I met Adrian Rice nearly a decade ago and his poetry continues to be some of my favorite I’ve ever heard,” says CAC executive director Lindsay Barrick. “His passion for the written word is infectious.”

Rice is from County Antrim, Northern Ireland. His first poetry sequence, Muck Island, a collaboration with Irish artist Ross Wilson, is housed in the Tate Gallery and The Boston Museum of Fine Arts. His first full collection, The Mason’s Tongue, was shortlisted for the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Literary Prize and nominated for the Irish Times Prize for Poetry. His recent American publications, The Clock Flower and Hickory Station, have also received critical acclaim. Rice currently lives with his family in Hickory and teaches at Appalachian State University.

“I hope that listeners get a flavor of Northern Ireland from my work, as well as my angle on their own native patch of the Piedmont,” says Rice. “I am more than happy to support a relatively new enterprise like Poetry Caldwell, which is doing a great job of keeping the poetry flame alive and burning.”

The Caldwell Arts Council is located at 601 College Avenue SW in Lenoir. Poetry Caldwell is free and open to all. Learn more at CaldwellArts.com.

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