Any new collection of poetry by Walter Bargen, Missouri’s first poet laureate and friend of Skylark, is a cause for celebration. We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, October 24 for a reading and party to welcome Walter’s new book, Radiation Diary, into the world. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. We’re honored to be helping Walter launch this new collection! Anyone who has heard him read will know that he is a wonderful interpreter of his own work, bringing both grace and humor to his readings. Don’t miss it!

Walter Bargen was appointed Missouri’s first poet laureate in 2008. He received a BA in philosophy and an MA in English education from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
 
Bargen is the author of more than a dozen collections of poetry, many of which are available at Skylark. At the Poet Laureate Awards ceremony, poet Kevin Prufer described Bargen as a “brilliant communicator about poetry” whose own work is “subtle, skillful and wise.” Bargen has commented that creativity happens “where one’s imagination and memory collide with events.”