The Words I Chose

Friday, April 18 from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m.  Great Falls Forum talk: Wesley McNair, Maine Poet Laureate,”The Words I Chose.”  Not only is Wes McNair our state’s Poet Laureate, he is truly a Maine, New England and national treasure. His body of work includes nine volumes of poetry and twenty books in total, including his nonfiction and edited anthologies.

Poet Philip Levine has called Wes “One of the great storytellers of contemporary poetry.”  Others have labeled him “a poet of place,” one who focuses on the struggles of the “economic misfits” of northern New England, often with humor and through the use of telling details.

McNair’s latest book is The Words I Chose, a memoir that tells of his beginnings in poverty and his development into a poet against all odds.  In his Forum presentation McNair will be sharing his poetry, reading from his memoir, and talking about the value of poetry and art in the Twenty-first Century.  The talk will be followed by a book sale and signing.

Admission is free to all Great Falls Forum events and no reservations are required. This program is a bring-your-own brown-bag lunch event.  Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available on site at the library.

The Great Falls Forum is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal. More information on this lecture or other upcoming events in the Great Falls Forum series is available by contacting the Lewiston Public Library at 513-3135 or via email at LPLReference@LewistonMaine.gov