Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Mary Oliver will visit the University of Houston Monday, April 16 for a question-and-answer forum. The free event will take place from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. at the Honors College Commons, on the second floor of the M.D. Anderson Library.

Oliver, hailed by Booklist as “one of the country’s most popular and highly awarded poets,” is the author of more than 20 books of poetry and prose. She is the recipient of both the Pulitzer Prize for “American Primitive” and the National Book Award for “New and Selected Poems.” Her works are celebrated for their lyrical connection to the natural world.

Her works also include “Why I Wake Early, Blue Iris: Poems and Essays, New and Selected Poems: Volume Two.” Her most recent collection of poetry, “Thirst,” introduces a new direction in her writing, as she grapples with grief after the death of her partner of more than 40 years.

Later that evening, Oliver will read from her works as part of the Inprint Brown Reading Series. The reading takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave. General admission tickets are $10, available only at the door on the evening of the reading. The Inprint Brown Reading Series is presented by Inprint in association with the UH Creative Writing Program, Alley Theatre and Brazos Bookstore.

Staff reports