INA, Ill. (Feb. 6, 2020) — Come join acclaimed author Allison Joseph as she reads a selection of her poetry this month at Rend Lake College followed by a book signing.

The reading will take place starting at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20 in the private dining area of the Student Center on the Ina Campus. The book signing will follow the reading. Refreshments will be provided. Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to attend.  

Allison Joseph currently lives in Carbondale where she directs the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Southern Illinois University. Her books and chapbooks include “What Keeps Us Here,” “Worldly Pleasures,” “Imitation of Life,” “Voice: Poems,” “My Father’s Kites,” Trace Particles,” “Little Epiphanies,” “Mercurial,” “Mortal Rewards,” “Multitudes,” “The Purpose of Hands,” “Double Identity,” “Corporal Muse,” “What Once You Loved,” and most recently “Confessions of a Barefaced Woman.”

“Confessions of a Barefaced Woman” was chosen as the First Place Winner in the poetry category of the 2019 Feathered Quill Book Awards as well as a nominee for the NAACP Image Awards poetry category. It was also a finalist for the Montaigne Medal and the Da Vinci Eye Book Award among many other accolades.

The reading is in conjunction with RLC’s Black History Month programming, celebrating the culture and contributions of the African-American community. For more information on the event, contact Peggy Davis at [email protected] or 618-437-5321 Ext. 1725.

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