University of Virginia Library

Poet, Teacher
Kenneth Koch
Gives Reading

Kenneth Koch, poet, playwright and
teacher, will be at the University on
Thursday to read from his poetry.

Mr. Koch, who is the second Emily
Clark Balch visitor for the session, is the
author of 11 plays and several volumes of
poetry including "Ko, or a Season on
Earth," "Thank You and Other Poems"
and "The Pleasures of Peace and Other
Poems."

A professor of English and
comparative literature at Columbia University,
Mr. Koch spent the spring of 1968 and the
winter of 1969 teaching elementary school
children at a public school on New York's
Lower East Side to write poetry. His recent
book, "Wishes, Lies and Dreams," describes his
teaching methods and experiences there.

The Balch visitor program is sponsored by
the University's department of English to bring
to the Grounds writers and critics of American
literature.

The reading, which is open to the public,
will begin at 8 p.m., in 301 Wilson Hall.