Writers@Grinnell: Chris Martin

Grinnell College will host poet Chris Martin for the second Writers@Grinnell event of the fall semester on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016.

Martin will host an informal discussion at 4:15 p.m. in Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, Room 209. He will also read from his work at 8 p.m. in Rosenfield Center, Room 101. Both events are free and open to the public.

"Though invention will always be a crucial aspect of poetic work," Martin says, "poets are also here to remind us of the marvel of existence, no matter how banal the territory of the poem gets."

Martin is the author of three collections of poetry: The Falling Down Dance, Becoming Weather, and American Music, which was selected by the late C. D. Wright, a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, for the Hayden Carruth Award.

In addition, Martin is the author of several chapbooks, including HISTORY, enough, and How to Write a Mistake-ist Poem. His recent work can be found now or soon in The Cultural Society, Fence, Paperbag, SPOKE TOO SOON, and The Brooklyn Rail.

An editor at Futurepoem books, Martin lives in Minneapolis with his wife, the poet Mary Austin Speaker, and their son, Atticus. Martin teaches at The Loft and is a visiting assistant professor of English at Carleton College, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He also holds a master's degree from New York University and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa.

He cofounded and is a teacher-writer at Unrestricted Interest, a program dedicated to transforming the lives of unconventional learners and students on the autism spectrum through poetry.

Grinnell College welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. Rosenfield Center Room 101 is equipped with an induction hearing loop system, which enables individuals with hearing aids set to T-Coil to hear the program. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations, 641-269-3235.