R. Flowers Rivera, "Heathen" Poetry Reading

Celebrated poet R. Flowers Rivera will read from her latest book of poetry, "Heathen" (February, 2015), on Wednesday, February 11, at The Wild Detectives, 314 West Eighth Street in Dallas. Free and open to the public, the reading and book signing event will take place at 7:30 p.m. Books will be available for purchase. Heathen’s February release follows the success of Rivera’s debut award-winning collection Troubling Accents (July, 2013). The manuscript of Heathen was named recipient of the prestigious 2015 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award, as selected by acclaimed poet and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller. This award was established by Lotus Press to recognize an outstanding book-length manuscript by an African-American poet. ABOUT R. FLOWERS RIVERA Currently a resident of McKinney, Texas, R. Flowers Rivera is a native of Mississippi. She completed a Ph.D. in English at Binghamton University, and an M.A. in English at Hollins University, in addition to an M.S. at Georgia State University and a B.S. at the University of Georgia. Her work has been anthologized in Mischief, Caprice & Other Poetic Strategies and published in journals such as African American Review, The Beloit Poetry Journal, Columbia, Feminist Studies, Obsidian, and The Southern Review. Her short story, “The Iron Bars,” won the 1999 Peregrine Prize. Rivera was a finalist for the May Swenson Award, the Journal Intro Award, the Naomi Long Madgett Award, the Gary Snyder Memorial Award, and the Paumanok Poetry Award, as well as a nominee for The Pushcart Prize. Rivera was awarded the 2009 Leo Love Merit Scholarship in Poetry in association with the Taos Summer Writers Conference.