Alison Hedge Coke
Reynolds Endowed Chair, 308.865.8672
The University of Nebraska at Kearney Reynolds Series will present Matthew Shenoda, a Coptic poet and activist from Los Angeles, on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Shenoda will begin reading at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Studio Theatre, located on the lower level of the Fine Arts Building. An autograph session and reception will take place after the reading. Reynolds Series presentations are free and open to the public.
A recognized poet, educator and activist, Shenoda is devoted to using art for social change and to build community among people of color. His poems and other writings have appeared in a variety of newspapers, journals, radio programs and anthologies.
In 2005, Shenoda’s debut collection of poems, “Somewhere Else,” was named the debut book of the year by “Poets & Writers Magazine.” He also won the inaugural Hala Maksoud Award for Emerging Voice and received the 2006 American Book Award.
His latest collection, “Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone,” was published in fall 2009 by BOA Editions, Ltd., a nonprofit publisher of poetry and other writing works. The collection of poems presents a rare perspective at the turning point of the African continent and explores the modern human condition, the loss of culture and place, and the existing separation between the worldly and the spiritual.
Shenoda has taught extensively in the fields of ethnic studies and creative writing. He was a faculty member in the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Currently, he serves as assistant provost for equity and diversity, and is on the faculty in the School of Critical Studies at California Institute of the Arts.
For more information, contact Allison Hedge Coke, Paul and Clarice Reynolds Chair of Poetry and Writing, at 308.865.8672.
