Schar College of Education Hosts Children's Author and PoetThe Schar College of Education is sponsoring a guest author event this semester that will feature children's author and poet J. Patrick Lewis on Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. in the Ronk Lecture Hall in the College of Education. The event is free and open to the public.Lewis is the current U.S. Children's Poet Laureate and winner of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) 2011 Excellence in Children's Poetry Award."This will be a lively, interactive experience for students, teachers and faculty," said Dr. Mary Rycik, chair of the Early Childhood Department. "Formerly a professor of economics, Mr. Lewis has published over 65 children's books and is known for his wicked sense of humor and his connection to non-fiction topics."Lewis travels throughout the country holding events that are designed to get children excited about the wonders of poetry."Students and those in attendance can expect to hear a lot of poetry reading but not stuffy verse," Rycik said. "You will hear poems about animals, nature, people and holidays and that will include limericks, haiku, riddles, shape poems, narrative poems, song lyrics and nonsense verse."More information about Lewis can be found at his website at: http://www.jpatricklewis.com/. Those wanting more information about the guest author event can contact Rycik at 419-289-5256 or email her at mrycik@ashland.edu.
Originally published in Campus Communications 10/18/11