November 17, 2008

Neil Aitken, whose first book “The Lost Country of Sight” won the 2007 Philip Levine Prize in Poetry, will read some of his work Friday, Nov. 21, at California State University, Fresno. He will be joined by C.G. Hanzlicek, a professor emeritus of English who chose Aitken’s manuscript in judging for the Levine Prize.

The reading begins at 7 p.m. at the Alice Peters Auditorium of the University Business Center under sponsorship of the Fresno State Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. Admission is free and the public is invited. Free parking will be available in the University Business Center lot.

Aitken was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, western Canada and the United States. He worked as a computer games programmer before leaving the industry in 2004 to complete an MFA at the University of California, Riverside. He is pursuing a doctorate in literature and creative writing at the University of Southern California.

His poems have appeared in "Barn Owl Review," "Crab Orchard Review," "The Drunken Boat," "Poetry Southeast," "RHINO," "Sou’wester" and "Washington Square." He also has been published in the anthologies "Blue Arc West: An anthology of California Poets" and "Homage to Vallejo." Aitken is the founding editor of Boxcar Poetry Review and a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee.

Hanzlicek directed Fresno State’s creative writing program, retiring in 2001 after teaching for 35 years. Since 1994, Hanzlicek has organized the yearly Fresno Poets’ Association reading series at the Fresno Art Museum.

Some of Hanzlicek's work and Aitken's book will be available for purchase and for signing at a reception following the reading.

The Levine Prize is cosponsored by Anhinga Press in Florida and was initiated by Fresno State, where Levine taught from 1958 to 1992. He won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1994 for his book, “The Simple Truth,” and also has won the National Book Award, two National Book Critics Circle Awards and the American Book Award for Poetry.

The prize includes publication of the winning poet’s first book. The annual contest is open to poets who are not current or former Fresno State students or faculty.

For further information, contact the English department office at 559.278.2553.