MSVWS: Public reading with John Morgan and Claire-Elise Baalke

The Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series presents an evening with award-winning poet John Morgan, reading from The Nancy Poems, a moving collection that chronicles love, marriage, and the landscapes of Alaska. 

Special guest Claire-Elise Baalke will open the event with selections from A Heavenly Symposium, a chapbook exploring mythology, science, and astrology.

❄️What: MSVWS Public Reading: John Morgan, with special guest Claire-Elise Baalke

❄️Date: Friday, March 21st, 2025

❄️Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm AKST

❄️Location: Schaible Auditorium

❄️Zoom Webinar Option: https://alaska.zoom.us/j/85179600990

❄️Web: https://www.uaf.edu/cla/news/2025/msvws-morgan-baalke.php

Join us for an inspiring evening of storytelling and celebration at the UAF Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series public reading on Friday, March 21, 2025, from 7–8 p.m. on the UAF Troth Teddha’ campus in the Schaible Auditorium or online via Zoom at https://alaska.zoom.us/j/85179600990. Following the readings, attendees are invited to participate in a Q&A session and enjoy a book sale and signing with the authors. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with accomplished writers! This event is free and open to the public.

? About John Morgan

John Morgan studied with Robert Lowell at Harvard, where he won the Hatch Prize for Lyric Poetry. At the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he earned his MFA with distinction, and was awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize. In 1976, he moved with his family to Fairbanks, Alaska to direct the creative writing program at the University of Alaska. Over the years, he has published eight poetry books, four chapbooks, and a collection of essays. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, The American Poetry Review, The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, and many other magazines. He has won the Discovery Award of the New York Poetry Center, the Quarterly Review of Literature Poetry Prize, a Rasmuson Fellowship, and first prize in the Carolina Quarterly poetry contest, among other awards. Morgan was a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, a Bread Loaf Scholar, and was chosen as the first Writer-in-Residence at Denali National Park. He and his wife Nancy now divide their time between Fairbanks and Bellingham, Washington. For more information visit his website:

? About Claire-Elise Baalke

Claire-Elise Baalke received a MA in English at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She has poetry publications in The Bangalore Review, Cirque Journal and the Flying Ketchup Press. Her debut chapbook A Heavenly Symposium published through Finishing Line Press touches on humanities’ connections with the planets and stars through myth, science, and astrology☀️About Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series Public Readings:The Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series culminates in captivating public readings by local and nationally renowned authors. These free events showcase the talents of featured writers as they bring their work to life, offering audiences a chance to experience literature in a powerful, personal way. Since its inception in the early 1970s, the series has welcomed some of the most celebrated voices in literature, including Robert Pinsky, Lucille Clifton, Scott Russell Sanders, Mark Doty, Camille Dungy, and Terry Tempest Williams. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to their work, the public readings provide an unforgettable evening of storytelling and inspiration, connecting the community to the transformative power of the written word.

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??Thank you to our sponsors:

We are deeply grateful to the SpringHill Suites by Marriott and the Bridgewater Hotel, Trademark Collection by Wyndham, for their generous hospitality in hosting our authors during their stay in Fairbanks. Your support and kindness are invaluable in helping us bring esteemed writers to Alaska, enriching our community and celebrating the power of storytelling. Thank you for being such an integral part of this journey.We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the UA Museum of the North and Christina Parks-Zlinszky, Director of Visitor Services, for hosting our public readings in the Arnold Espe Multimedia Auditorium. Your generosity in providing this remarkable venue creates an inspiring space for our events, enabling us to share the magic of storytelling with our community.And, lastly, we also extend our heartfelt thanks to Megan Bean from the UAF Office of Development for her dedication and hard work in supporting the UAF Department of English's Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series. Her efforts have been instrumental in fostering the success of this program and enhancing its impact on our community.

Host or Publisher UAF Department of English