Poet Laureate to visit Odessa

Washington state’s Poet Laureate for 2016-2019 is Dr. Tod Marshall. He lives in Spokane and occupies the Robert K. and Ann J. Powers Professor Chair of the Humanities at Gonzaga University. Marshall is the author of three poetry collections and a collection of interviews with contemporary poets.

An article published in the Inlander magazine in May 2016 quotes Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak, Gonzaga’s dean of the College of Arts and Sciences as saying, “Tod is somebody who can’t say no.” She’s talking about his work on campus, but that willingness to lead the charge for the humanities extends to all of his roles. “It comes through his poetry, and it comes through in his work with students. It comes through in everything he does.”

Marshall is coming to Odessa to visit and instruct students at the junior and senior high school on Wednesday, May 17. That same evening, he will present some of his poetry at a gathering at the Odessa Public Library. The evening presentation will begin at 7 p.m., and the public is invited to attend and enjoy a selection of his work.