New Orleans Poet to Visit Truman

Hurricane Katrina displaced thousands of citizens, including New Orleans resident and poet Mona Lisa Saloy. Saloy won the 2005 T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry sponsored by Truman State University Press for her collection “Red Beans and Ricely Yours.” This book is a celebration of the vibrant history and color of New Orleans. Her narrative poems tell of the daily life of Black New Orleans and the cultural roots of her community.

Truman State University Press and Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society are co-sponsoring Saloy’s visit to campus. Saloy’s book reading and signing will be at 7 p.m., Nov. 8, in the Student Union Building Activities Room.

Saloy’s prize-winning collection was selected in January 2005 by Ishmael Reed, judge for this year’s competition. The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is an annual competition in honor of native Missourian T. S. Eliot’s literacy legacy. The Press receives up to 600 poetry manuscripts for consideration each year.

After Hurricane Katrina’s damage to New Orleans, Reed said, “Ms. Saloy’s book might be the last will and testament of a great city.”

Saloy is associate professor of English and director of creative writing at Dillard University, but is a visiting associate professor at the University of Washington in Seattle for the 2005-2006 academic year. Arrangements may be made for an interview with Saloy.

For additional information, contact  Nancy Rediger at 785.7199.
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