Romanian poet schedules reading at Southeastern

Press Release Date: 04-02-2009

DURANT, Okla. -- Southeastern Oklahoma State University will present Romanian poet and journalist Liliana Ursu at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, in the auditorium on the second floor of the Student Union.

The event is sponsored by the Cultural and Scholastic Lectureship Fee Committee, the Red River Arts Council, and Southeastern’s Department of English, Humanities, and Languages.

Ursu is the author of 18 books in Romania. "Lightwall," her fourth book to appear in English, is a poetic exploration of the internationally connected modern world, travel from Romania to America, and the abiding landmarks of Romanian Christianity.

Her poems connect her home in old Bucharest to her travels in the United States, and her Orthodox spirituality with her modern, Balkan context.

Ursu will be reading from her latest book, "Lightwall."

Translations of her poetry have appeared in volumes with Northwestern University Press, Bloodaxe Books, and Zephyr Press. Her poems have been published in numerous journals, including American Poetry Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Massachusetts Review, and The New Yorker.

Ursu has held two Fulbright grants and has been Poet-in-Residence at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn.

The title of "Lightwall" refers to the angled casements built to reflect sunlight into basement apartments in Bucharest. These poems also bring light to places it ordinarily does not reach: Romanian trains, old suitcases, and the medieval city where Ursu was born.

Ursu is in the United States for a short time, at the invitation of Boston University. While here, she will be speaking at BU, the University of Michigan, Indiana University, and Southeastern Oklahoma State University.