Morris to perform poetry to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Cameron University Professor John G. Morris is continuing his holiday tradition of performing poetry to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

The Leslie Powell Foundation Gallery, 620 SW D, will host a Valentine’s Day poetry reading by Morris at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 14. The event is free and open to the public.

Morris has performed the live poetry reading for Valentine’s Day for more than 20 years. From older and contemporary work by other authors to his own original work, the poetry Morris chooses is not only in the romantic vein. It is often humorous, sometimes edgy, and always thought-provoking, said Leslie Powell Gallery Director Matthew Hughes.

Morris has been a professor of English at Cameron University since 1988. His writing has been published in numerous publications, and he was recently the recipient of the South Central Modern Language Association’s Honorary Lifetime Membership Award.

Hughes said the reading will wrap up by 7:30 p.m., allowing time for couples to venture out for their Valentine’s Day dinner reservations. Light refreshments and wine will be served, also free of charge.

The Leslie Powell Foundation Gallery is a non-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote the arts in the Lawton community as well as Southwestern Oklahoma. The gallery hosts six art exhibitions per year in addition to lectures and musical performances. More information can be found at the gallery’s website, www.lpgallery.org, and its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/lpartgallery.