West Virginia Poet Laureate Irene McKinney will read from her work at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 2 in Room 2W16 of the Memorial Student Center on Marshall University’s Huntington campus.

McKinney is the author of six books. A collection of her selected poems, Unthinkable, was published recently by Red Hen Press. Other poetry collections include Vivid Companion (WVU Press, 2006) and Six O’clock Mine Report.

Her poems have appeared in many leading publications, including The Georgia Review, The Kenyon Review, Poetry, American Voice, and Arts & Letters. She is the recipient of fellowships in poetry from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

McKinney has taught at Western Washington University, the University of New Mexico and other institutions. She was appointed Poet Laureate of West Virginia in 1994 and is Professor Emeritus of English at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Her appearance is sponsored by the Marshall English Department and the College of Liberal Arts. It is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Art Stringer in Marshall’s English Department at 304-696-2403.