Willis to Read Poetry at Book Signing

Paul Willis, Westmont professor of English, will read from his new book of poems, “Rosing from the Dead,” at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The reading will take place in Hieronymus Lounge in Kerrwood Hall on the upper campus.

Westmont senior Shannon Hickey of Moorpark, Calif., will also share some of her work. The event is free, and Willis’ book will be available for sale and signing.

“Rosing from the Dead is about resurrection—the times it seems possible, and the times it does not,” Willis says. “Each poem investigates the emergence or denial of hope that we may feel in each small turn of our lives. Along the way, the poems visit forgotten corners of family history, college classrooms, and mountain meadows. Once in a while, a dog or two come sniffing along.”

“Visiting Home,” Willis’ first full collection of poetry, was published in 2008. Poems from this volume were featured on Verse Daily and read by Garrison Keillor on “The Writer’s Almanac.”