28th Annual Poetry At Rose Features Special Guest Poet Ben Myers Among Others Published February 29, 2016

Midwest City, Okla. – The 28^th Annual Poetry at Rose is scheduled for March 4, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the Rose State College H.B. Atkinson Theatre.  A night of poetry will be accompanied by presentation of the James Axley Creative Writing Awards for excellence in poetry writing and fiction writing.

The James Axley Creative Writing Awards were established in 1994 to honor the memory of Dr. James Axley, a beloved colleague who served as the faculty editor for the Rose State College literary publication, Pegasus, for more than a decade and who also taught creative writing.  Axley passed away in the early 1990s while teaching at Rose State.  Immediately after his death, his family and colleagues donated money to establish a James Axley Writing Award to be given to a deserving student at the annual Poetry at Rose event.  Claudia Buckmaster, Dean of Humanities at Rose State said, “Contributions to the fund have continued, as have the awards themselves and we are now less than $3,500 away from successfully endowing the James Axley Scholarship.”

This year’s event includes appearances by President Emeritus Terry Britton reading Selections from Oranges and Sweet Red Wine by Jim Axley, special guest poet, Ben Myers, and musical performances by the Rose State Musical Theatre Group and the Rose State Chamber Singers.  A reception will be held prior to the event in the H.B. Atkinson Theatre lobby at 6:00 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on Poetry to Rose or how you can make a contribution to the James Axley Writing Award fund, you may contact the Humanities Division office at 405-733-7380.