Thomas More University’s English and Creative Writing Department has announced Manuel Iris, poet laureate emeritus of the City of Cincinnati will serve as writer-in-residence for the University during the 2023-24 academic year.
Iris served as Cincinnati’s poet Laureate from 2018-2020.
During his tenure at TMU, Iris will visit the Crestview Hills campus each semester with the first event taking place Sept. 25. The events offer students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to get to know the world-renowned poet in an informal setting.
“The English and Creative Writing Department is especially excited about Iris visiting because of his passion for working with students as well as his bilingual poetry, which explores language and culture in fascinating and important ways,” said Sarah Gerkensmeyer, assistant professor.
A Mexican poet, Iris received two major literary awards from his home country, the Merida National award of poetry in 2009 for his book “Notebook of dreams” and the Rodulfo Figueroa Regional award of poetry in 2014 for his book “The disguises of fire.”
His first bilingual anthology of poems, “Traducir el silencio/Translating silence,” was published in New York in 2018. The book won two different honors from the International Latino Book Awards in that same year.
Iris has published poetry, essays, and translations in magazines and literary journals from Mexico, Spain, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Portugal, France, the United States, and Angola. In 2021, he became a member of the System of Art Creators of Mexico — Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte. Iris obtained his doctorate from the University of Cincinnati and has since made the city his home.
In addition to Iris, previous writers-in-residence for the University include Pauletta Hansel, the first poet laureate of Cincinnati and a regionally known poet, memoirist, teacher, and editor; and Richard “Dick” Hague, an award-winning poet, author of several collections of poetry and short stories, and teacher. Both Hansel and Hague drew from their Appalachian roots for their inspiration.
Thomas More University