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Celebration Set For Robert Penn
Bowling Green, Ky. - On April 24, Robert Penn Warren would have turned 100. To mark the milestone, the Center for Robert Penn Warren Studies at Western Kentucky University will be involved in a series of events from readings to a stamp unveiling.
While the majority of the activities will take place at WKU on Warren's birthday, there are several pre-centennial events, including a U.S. Postal Stamp Ceremony at Warren's birthplace in Guthrie, Ky. Federal and state officials will be on hand at 11 a.m. April 22 as the U.S. Postal Service unveils a stamp to commemorate the centennial. "Robert Penn Warren is by anybody's definition the most distinguished literary figure Kentucky has ever produced and Kentucky has produced some very, very distinguished literary figures," said Mary Ellen Miller, an English professor at Western and coordinator of the Warren Center. "He is the only person in history to win a Pulitzer Prize in both fiction and poetry and he won two in poetry. He was the nation's first official poet laureate and he is as well known in criticism as he is in poetry and fiction." Warren's wife, Eleanor Clark, presented his personal working library to WKU several years ago and it is now housed in the Kentucky Library. "The centerpiece for what we're having is the fact that both of his children are going to be here for the whole weekend," Professor Miller said. Robert Penn Warren Centennial events include: April 21 - Reception for an exhibition of Warren photos taken by William Ferris, 5:30 p.m., Kentucky Museum. April 22 - U.S. Postal Service Stamp Ceremony, 11 a.m., Warren birthplace in Guthrie. April 23 - Reading of "The Ballad of Billie Potts" by WKU faculty members Patricia Minton Taylor and Craig Taylor, 5 p.m., Garrett Conference Center 103. April 24 - Centennial Day events in Mass Media and Technology Hall. 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. - reception, book signings and souvenir sales, including a centennial poster designed by Warren's children and Russell Kolton. Lobby area. 11 a.m.- recognition of student essay winners and presentation by Warren's son, sculptor Gabriel Warren. Auditorium. 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.—sack lunches for all attendees. Atrium lobby. 2 p.m. - announcement of Warren/Brooks award winners and a poetry reading by Warren's daughter, Rosanna. Auditorium. 3:15 p.m.—birthday cake and punch reception, book signings and ongoing sales. Lobby. At 7:30 p.m. there will be a sundown reading of Warren's "Evening Hawk" at his birthplace in Guthrie. More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu. -WKU-
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