A poetry festival honoring emeritus professor and former poet laureate Lawson Inada took place over the weekend at Southern Oregon University.
Inada was Oregon’s fifth poet laureate from 2007 to 2010 and has been teaching at SOU since 1966.
The two day event, “Collaboration: Lawson Inada & Friends Poetry Festival 2011,” began with a reception Friday, followed by a full day of poetry workshops and programs Saturday.
Several musicians and writers participated in the event, including SOU professors Terry Longshore and Todd Barton who performed an improvised music piece with Inada on Friday.
Professors Miles Inada and Robert Arellano also presented on Saturday, with a presentation titled “Digital Directions and Poetry.”
The festival also featured a performance by SOU’s Black Student Union Step Team.
Lawson is the author of several books of poetry, including his most recent work, “Want” which was published in 2008.
