7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26 | Mead Hall Walnut Room
(Leavenworth, Kan.)鈥擳he 花椒直播 welcomes Kevin Rabas, Poet Laureate
of Kansas Emeritus, as the 2018-19 Sister Mary Janet McGilley Poetry Reading Series
guest at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the Mead Hall Walnut Room on USM's Leavenworth
campus, 4100 South 4th Street.
The event is free and open to the public.
Rabas' "Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary" will illuminate the path through
a human's daily life, revealing beauty in the mundane tasks and objects often overlooked.
With both words and music, Rubas' presentation will uplift daily experiences by exploring
what poet Pablo Neruda called "odes to ordinary things." Rabas explained, "Poetry
shows us that every little bit of our lives is meaningful. Part of the poet's job
is to remind us to observe and cherish the world and our lives in it."
Rabas is a poet, jazz musician, and professor who teaches poetry and playwriting at
Emporia State University, while he also chairs of the Department of English, Modern
Languages, and Journalism. His collection of poems, "Lisa's Flying Electric Piano,"
was a Kansas Notable Book in 2010 and a winner of the Nelson Poetry Book Award. Rabas
is the winner of the Langston Hughes Award for Poetry, the Victor Contoski Poetry
Award, and the Jerome Johanning Playwriting Award, among others. His most recent poetry
collection, "Songs for My Father: Poems & Stories," was published by Meadowlark in
2016.
As Poet Laureate of Kansas, Rabas promotes the humanities as a public resource for
all Kansans through public readings, presentations, and discussions about poetry in
communities across the state.
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, Humanities Kansas' pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. With these partners and supporters, Humanities Kansas inspires all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state. Visit for more information.
About the Sister Mary Janet McGilley Poetry Reading Series
The Sister Mary Janet McGilley Poetry Reading Series honors the late Sister Mary Janet McGilley, a published poet and professor of English at the 花椒直播. For 25 years (1964-89), Sr. Mary Janet also served as president of 花椒直播. Consistent with Sr. Mary Janet's example of teaching excellence, USM established the McGilley Chair Award in 1990鈥攁 three-year position honoring a faculty member's commitment to and excellence in teaching the liberal arts.
Dr. Krusemark enters his second year as the Sister Mary Janet McGilley Endowed Chair in Liberal Studies (McGilley Chair).
Rabas' appearance is sponsored by the McGilley Chair. For more information on this event, email Dr. Krusemark at krusemarkw@stmary.edu.
The 花椒直播 is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of 花椒直播 main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. USM's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit stmary.edu for more information.