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The University of Arizona Poetry Center has partnered with The Creative Writing Program at ASU, Superstition Review and ASU-Performance in the Borderlands to bring award-winning poet Terrance Hayes to the Valley this Friday. 

Hayes is an American poet and professor in the English Department at the University of Pittsburgh, whose work has attracted a lot of commercial and critical attention. He has published four collections of poetry, one of which, "Lighthead," was awarded the National Book Award for Poetry in 2010.

He was also a recipient in 2014 of the distinguished McArthur Fellowship, also known as the "Genius Grant," awarded to very few individuals in any field who show a profound aptitude for creativity and self-direction. There are no applications accepted, instead potential Fellows must be nominated and then accepted by the selection committee. Less than 30 individuals a year are awarded the substantial $625,000 prize.

Hayes was born in Columbia, South Carolina, before attending Coker College and the University of Pittsburgh, graduating with a bachelor's degree and master's of fine arts respectively. He taught creative writing at Carnegie Mellon, and transferred in 2013 to the English department at the University of Pittsburgh.

His work has appeared in a number of large literary magazines, like the New Yorker and the American Poetry Review, but unfortunately not in magazines like ASU's Superstition Review (produced by students at ASU). Patricia Murphy, editor and founder of Superstition Review, said the review has not published Hayes before but would love to. 

She said she expects Friday night's event to attract a huge crowd. There are more than 120 RSVP's on the Facebook event page and more than 230 who are interested, which is of course great exposure for the author, but also Superstition Review, ASU, UA and the art community of Phoenix at large.

Hayes' poetry is a powerful reflection on issues as diverse as race, evolving notions of masculinity and the state of popular culture. Murphy said she views his art as not only personal and political, but of interest to all races and ethnicities.

Justice studies senior Rashaad Thomas is an ASU student and Arizona-based poet who will be opening for Hayes. Thomas said he believes ASU students should be interested in attending the event. 

"U of A and ASU are working together on a level of creativity, through poetry, which you may think young people wouldn't be interested in, but they are and should be," Thomas said.  

Thomas said the Terrance Hayes' event is significant during Black History Month because it gives voice to a marginalized demographic.

"These opportunities don't come ... for people like me," Thomas wrote in an email.  "I mean someone who has lived on the streets as a black homeless veteran ... and uses poetry as a bullhorn to describe the beauty of a place people think is riddled with ugly." 

Thomas said describing the negative aspects of the world in positive language is something he and Hayes have in common.

"As a black poet, opening for someone like Terrance is really important," he said. "Diversity in Phoenix is growing, we're innovating."  

Hayes will be reading his work from 7 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Related Links:

New Phoenix Art Museum exhibit showcases political struggle, dark themes


Reach the reporter at cabernet@asu.edu or follow @ccabernethy on Twitter.

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