Two poets with Knoxville roots, Charles Morris and Marianne Worthington, will read from their works on Monday, March 13 at Writers in the Library. The reading begins at 7 PM and is free and open to the public.

Marianne Worthington was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has lived in southeastern Kentucky since 1990, where she is Associate Professor of Communication Arts at Cumberland College in Williamsburg. She is a creative writing instructor for the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and the Reviews Editor for Now & Then: The Appalachian Magazine. Her writing has appeared widely in such journals as Shenandoah, Wind, and The Louisville Review. “On Broadway,” her essay about growing up in Fountain City, was included in the literary anthology Knoxville Bound. Her poetry chapbook, Larger Bodies Than Mine, is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in 2006.

Charles Morris was born in Oak Ridge and raised in Knoxville. A local poet and songwriter, he describes himself as “a student of Rimbaud, a friend of Homer.” His book of poetry, A Pocket for the Sea, was published by Armadillo Poetry Press in 1998. He has also co-authored a number of songs with his brother RB Morris, including “Distillery” on the album Zeke and the Wheel.

“Both these writers, Charles Morris and Marianne Worthington, bring a different perspective and style to the local poetry scene,” RB Morris, Jack Reese Writer in Residence at UT Libraries, said. “Their work has probably traveled more outside the local area than it has within. All of Knoxville, as well as UT students, should check it out.”

The Writers in the Library series is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Libraries and the Creative Writing Program of the UT English Department. For further information, please contact Jo Anne Deeken, Head of Technical Services, UT Libraries, at 974-6905 or deeken@aztec.lib.utk.edu, or R.B. Morris, Jack Reese Writer in Residence, UT Libraries, at 974-3004 or rbmorris@utk.edu.