News and Events
[printer friendly version]posted on 11/9/11
U.S. Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis '64 to Visit SJC
Photo courtesy of poetryfoundation.org
Saint Joseph's College alumnus J. Patrick Lewis '64, the U.S. Children's Poet Laureate, will visit SJC from Tuesday, November 15 to Thursday, November 17. The children's poet and author will spend time with educators, students, and various clubs and organizations at the College and in Rensselaer during his stay.
Lewis grew up in Gary, Ind. and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from SJC. He received his doctoral degree in Economics from the Ohio State University and was a recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English 2011 Excellence in Children's Poetry Award.
On Wednesday, Lewis will visit students at St. Augustine Elementary School, followed by a stop at Monnett Elementary School. He will then return to SJC to meet with Professor Charles Kerlin's Introduction to Poetry class, where Lewis will discuss career opportunities for writers, especially in the children's field.
At 1:00 pm CST, Lewis will join the Assessment Principles and Practice class in the Courtney Auditorium, located in the Rev. Charles Banet, C.PP.S. Core Education Center. With future elementary and secondary education teachers in the audience, Lewis will share ways to use poetry in the classroom and how he sees his work being integrated with student academic standards.
At 3:30 pm, Lewis will do a public reading for children at the Jasper County Public Library. He will talk about his stories and how he writes them followed by a question and answer session. Lewis will then attend dinner in the Founder's Room at SJC, where he will be joined by the Prairie Writers and Kankakee Valley Reading Council as well as several SJC students. Lewis will share tips for writers, discuss ways of getting published, and answer questions from the audience.
At 7:00 pm on Wednesday, there will be a public reading, mini-writing clinic, and book signing in the Courtney Auditorium.
The College Store will have 10 of Lewis's books for sale, and the Jasper County Public Library and SJC Robinson Memorial Library will have several of his works in circulation. The books will also be for sale at the public reading Wednesday night.
For more information on Lewis's visit, contact Assistant Director of Integrated Marketing
Ben Kalinowski '10 at 219.866.6344 or benk@saintjoe.edu.
Saint Joseph's College, named a "character-building college" by the Templeton Foundation and a "best Midwestern college" by the Princeton Review, is a four-year, Catholic college offering 26 majors, 4 group majors, 28 minors, and 9 pre-professional programs, complemented by the nationally acclaimed Core Program. Founded and sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, SJC is located in Rensselaer, Indiana, approximately 90 minutes from both Chicago and Indianapolis, on a park-like campus of 180 acres and has an enrollment of 1,100 students.
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