Coker Names Hayes its First Poet Laureate
For more information, contact James Jolly, director of marketing and communications, 843.383.8018
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Hartsville, S.C. — Nationally acclaimed poet Terrance Hayes has been named the first Poet Laureate of Coker College. Hayes is a 1994 Coker graduate.
“We are honored that a writer of Terrance’s caliber will serve as his alma mater’s first poet laureate,” said Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt. “As one of our most distinguished graduates, it’s a pleasure to officially recognize Terrance’s success and lift him up as an example of what is right about Coker College.”
As Coker’s official poet, Hayes will dedicate an original poem to the college and occasionally visit campus to guest-teach and give readings. By establishing the honorary position, which is a lifetime appointment, Coker hopes to raise awareness of the importance of poetry and creative writing among the campus community and the community at large.
“I was nurtured in countless ways by many people at Coker,” said Hayes. “The lessons I learned continue to guide me as a teacher, writer and citizen. This was an honor that I happily and proudly accepted.”
Hayes’ most recent poetry collection, Wind in a Box (Penguin 2006), was named one of the Best 100 Books of 2006 by Publishers Weekly. His other books of poetry are Muscular Music (1999), which won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and Hip Logic (2002), which won the National Poetry Series Open Competition.
Poems in Lighthead, Hayes’ collection to be published by Penguin in 2010, have appeared in journals such as The American Poetry Review, Poetry, and The New Yorker. He has also been profiled on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS.
Hayes is Professor of Creative Writing at Carnegie Mellon University and lives in Pittsburgh. He is currently the Coal Royalty Chairholder in Creative Writing at The University of Alabama. Hayes’ honors include a Whiting Writers Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
About Hayes’ work, poet Cornelius Eady has said: “First you'll marvel at his skill, his near-perfect pitch, his disarming humor, his brilliant turns of phrase. Then you'll notice the grace, the tenderness, the unblinking truth-telling just beneath his lines, the open and generous way he takes in our world.”
Hayes graduated from Coker College with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in art. He was also an Academic All-American on the men’s basketball team. Hayes went on to earn a master of fine arts from the University of Pittsburgh writing program. In 2001, Coker College presented him with its Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
A native of Columbia, S.C., Hayes attended Spring Valley High School.
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February 2, 2010