University to host “An Evening with Clay Matthews,” February 9

^{Dr. Clay Matthews}

(Jan. 30, 2015) – Carson-Newman University will host “An Evening with Clay Matthews” on Monday, Feb. 9. Sponsored by the University’s Appalachian Cultural Center, the 7 p.m. event is free and open to the public.

Matthews is an author of three books of poetry including “Superfecta”, “Runoff”, and “Pretty, Rooster.” An assistant professor at Tusculum College, Matthews has also seen his individual poems published in over 50 literary journals.

“Clay Matthews knows poetry, for sure,” said Dr. Susan Underwood, Carson-Newman’s director of creative writing. “”Pretty, Rooster,” his book of sonnets, is grounded in place, which readers will recognize instantly: yards full of dandelions, NASCAR just up the road, and a dog or two. I think anybody who comes out to this event will love, like I do, the earthiness and common language he balances with really keen craft.”

Matthews’ writing has garnered much attention over the last decade as he has earned several honors for creative writing including the Academy of American Poets Prize in 2005, and being named a finalist of the Burnside Review’s 3rd Annual Fiction Chapbook Contest in 2009.

He has been a featured reader at the University of Tulsa, the University of Central Oklahoma, Cameron University and Oklahoma State University.

The event will be held at Carson-Newman’s Appalachian Cultural Center on campus. The Center is located at 1603 Russell Ave. in Jefferson City. Seating is limited.