May 11, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Terry Penland
816-374-9118
USPS Web Site: http://www.usps.com

PULITZER WINNER ROBERT PENN WARREN HONORED ON U.S. POSTAGE STAMP
Poet Laureate Ted Kooser to Read at Rockhurst University May 19

KANSAS CITY - Poet, novelist and educator Robert Penn Warren will be honored Thursday, May 19 with a stamp unveiling at a special event at Rockhurst University. Warren was the first U.S. poet laureate and three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. Current U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser will read from his work in the Convocation Center at 8pm. This reading is free to the public. The new stamp is available at Post Offices and philatelic centers across the nation.

"The Postal Service has a wonderful legacy-and a very proud tradition-of honoring people who have had a significant influence on American Life," said Ormer Rogers, Jr., District Manager, Mid-America District, U.S. Postal Service, who will dedicate the stamp. "We're very proud to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Robert Penn Warren's birth by featuring him on a U.S. postage stamp. We are also honored to be a part of this special reading by Ted Kooser."

Robert Penn Warren was America's first official poet laureate (1986-87) and a three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, the only writer to have won the prize in poetry ("Promises: Poems, 1954-1956," in 1958, and "Now and Then: Poems, 1976-1978," in 1979) as well as fiction ("All the King's Men," 1947).

Warren received scores of other awards as well, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1980). He died on September 15, 1989, in West Wardsboro, VT.

Kooser, visiting professor of English at the University of Nebraska and native Iowan, is the first poet laureate from the Great Plains and is known for writing poetry that is both sophisticated and accessible. He is author of 10 full-length poetry collections, including Delights and Shadows (2004), for which he will receive the Pulitzer May 23 at Columbia University.

Among Kooser’s many awards are two National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowships, the Pushcart Prize, the Stanley Kunitz Prize, the James Boatwright Prize and a merit award from the Nebraska Arts Council.

Kooser’s appearance at Rockhurst is sponsored by the university’s Center for Arts and Letters, Mid-America Arts Alliance and DST Systems Inc. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of Rainy Day Books, and a book signing and reception will follow the reading. Attendees are asked to register for this free event by calling (816) 501-4828.

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Mid-America Arts Alliance supports and stimulates cultural activity primarily in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. M-AAA originates and manages regional, multiregional, national, and international arts and humanities programs. Major support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, participant state arts agencies, and leading foundations and corporations. For further information, visit the Mid-America Arts Alliance Web site at www.maaa.org or contact Sarah McGreer at sarah@maaa.org.

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