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Touring Poet Richard Robbins Stops in Monroe

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"Body Turn to Rain: New & Selected Poems" by Richard Robbins was published in 2017 by Lynx House Press.

Poet Richard Robbins visits University of Louisiana Monroe Tuesday, November 13 at 7 p.m. for a poetry reading featuring selections from his book Body Turn to Rain. 

Richard Robbins, a professor of creative writing at Minnesota State in Mankato, is touring the U.S. performing poetry readings. Over the course of two months, he visited 35 states on his tour and aims to visit the remaining 15.

"Writing is my research activity, so it's what I do to stay current with the field, as they say," he says. "But also, as a teacher of writing, I wouldn't be a very good teacher if I didn't know firsthand some of the struggles involved in it."

Robbins believes that even though poetry may not receive the same attention as a blockbuster novel, it remains a vital artistic genre. "In terms of people writing, I don't think there have ever been more people. It's just that some of it is not necessarily on our radar."

The poet touches on how poetry exists within pop culture. "Some of it also converges into other forms. like hip-hop music, for instance, has a lot of elements of poetry in it."Aspiring poets also use social media as a vehicle for their writing.

Richard Robbins reads poetry from his book Body Turn to Rain: New & Selected Poems Tuesday, November 13 at 7 p.m. in Hemphill Hall, Rm. 134 at ULM. The event is free and open to the public.