June 21, 2016: Reading by Charles Ries

Award-Winning Author Reads in Raynor June 21

Charles Ries, winner of the 2016 Paris Book Festival Prize for Poetry, will give a reading at Raynor Memorial Libraries on June 21, 2016, at 4:00 p.m.

RSVP NOW TO ATTEND

Tapping into the spirit of Father’s Day, Mr. Ries will read selections from his most recent work, The Fathers We Find: The Making of a Pleasant, Humble Boy. The book is a fictional memoir exploring our relationships with "the parents we are given, and the parents we find,” and loosely mirrors Ries’ own childhood on a mink farm in southeastern Wisconsin. Ries will also read selections from his award-winning collection of poetry, Girl Friend & Other Mysteries of Love.

A widely published and accomplished writer, Ries has received five nominations for the celebrated Pushcart Prize and a “Jade Ring” Award for humorous poetry from the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association. He is the former poetry editor for Word Riot, ESC!, and Passport Journal. He has also served as a board member of the Woodland Pattern Book Center in Milwaukee and as a member of the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission.

Ries often refers to his writing as “a mash-up of the secular and the spiritual, the ordinary and the mystical.” Growing up in a devoutly Catholic family — with five siblings who entered the convent or seminary — Ries’ has made his own path to finding God, peace, and understanding. As a young adult, he left Wisconsin for England and North Africa, where he studied Sufi mysticism for several years. Since then, his path has taken him many other places, including work with the Dalai Lama, extensive practice as a Jungian psychotherapist and a Reiki healer, and consulting work on behalf of philanthropy and nonprofits.

Ries currently works in Marquette University’s advancement office as Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts, and Innovation. He has two daughters, Catherine and Isabel, both of whom are Marquette graduates.

Event Details

• Free and open to all, but RSVP is required. RSVP NOW.
• Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2016
• Time: 4:00-5:00 p.m.
• Location:Marquette University, Raynor Memorial Libraries, Prucha Reading Room (3rd Fl.)

Planning to Attend?

• View campus map and parking information.
• Questions? Contact Elisa Coghlan, elisa.coghlan@marquette.edu or (414) 288-7068.

Event Sponsors

The event is hosted by the Raynor Memorial Libraries’ Department of Special Collections and University Archives.

View other upcoming events at Raynor Memorial Libraries.