The West Virginia Humanities Council Little Lecture on Sunday, Apr. 26 at 2 p.m. will feature West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman. In his talk, “What Holds Us Together,” Harshman will discuss how poetry and storytelling have not only shaped his life, but how the humanities can help lift the human spirit and inspire people to engage the world with greater purpose.
Harshman lives in Wheeling and was appointed poet laureate by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin in May 2012. His full-length collection, Green-Silver and Silent, was published by Bottom Dog Press later that same year. His chapbooks of poems include All that Feeds Us: The West Virginia Poems, published in 2013 to celebrate the poet laureate appointment. He has also published in many periodicals including Shenandoah, Wilderness, The Progressive, Appalachian Heritage, and others. His poems have been anthologized by presses at University of Georgia, Kent State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Arizona. His 11 children’s books include The Storm, a Smithsonian Notable Book. His children’s titles have been translated to Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Danish, and Swedish. Three new children’s titles are forthcoming.
Harshman holds degrees from Bethany College, Yale Divinity School, and the University of Pittsburgh. He has recently received honorary doctorates from Bethany College and West Liberty University. In 2013, he was commissioned by the Wheeling National Heritage Area to write a poem celebrating West Virginia’s Sesquicentennial, and his poem, “A Song for West Virginia,” was presented in both Charleston and Wheeling on June 20 as part of the West Virginia Day festivities. The commemorative poem has recently been reprinted by Quarrier Press of Charleston.
Robinson & McElwee PLLC is sponsoring the 2015 Little Lecture Series. Founded in Charleston in 1983, the law firm serves clients throughout West Virginia and Ohio.
Admission to the lecture is $10 and includes a reception after the program. Seating is limited and people interested in attending should confirm that seats are available by calling 304-346-8500 by noon on Thursday, Apr. 23.
The remaining Little Lectures for 2015 are: May 31, America Through the Lens of Ken Burns by Susan Shumaker of Florentine Films and June 28, Archeology of West Virginia’s Frontier Forts by archeologist Stephen McBride
All Little Lectures are presented on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. in the MacFarland-Hubbard House, located at 1310 Kanawha Boulevard, East, in Charleston. For more information call the West Virginia Humanities Council at 304-346-8500 or visit www.wvhumanities.org.
