A reverence for the earth and impressive use of language characterize the Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Wright’s 17th collection of poetry, Scar Tissue (2007). Wright’s reading at the Folger Shakespeare Library was organized by Folger Poetry, andpoet Bob Hicok, an associate professor of English at Virginia Tech, will lead Wright in a conversation about his work.

The Souder Family Professor of English at the University of Virginia, Wright grew up in Tennessee and North Carolina, and spent time in Italy when he was in the army, later returning to Rome with a Fulbright Scholarship. His poems suggest a visual component, with influences from painting and film.  Scar Tissue was the international winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize.

CHARLES WRIGHT READS TONIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. AT THE FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY, 201 E. CAPITOL ST. SE, $12, (202) 544-4623