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The Midnight Sun Visiting Writers Series is proud to host an evening of poetry featuring renowned poet John Morgan, who will be reading from his latest chapbook, The Nancy Poems. The event will take place at Schaible Auditorium, on March 21st, 2025 at 7pm.

Morgan, an acclaimed poet with deep ties to ³ÉÈËӰƬ, studied under Robert Lowell at Harvard and earned his MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He moved to Fairbanks in 1976 to direct the creative writing program at the University of ³ÉÈËӰƬ and has since published eight poetry books, four chapbooks, and a collection of essays. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and many other prestigious publications. His newest chapbook, The Nancy Poems, is a poignant exploration of love and marriage, following his relationship with his wife Nancy from their first date in 1964 through the challenges and joys of their life together—including their move to ³ÉÈËӰƬ, where the landscape became an integral part of their story.

Opening the evening will be Claire-Elise Baalke, a UAF English alum whose debut chapbook, A Heavenly Symposium, was recently published by Finishing Line Press. Her poetry explores the connections between mythology, science, and astrology, weaving together celestial themes with deeply human experiences. Baalke’s work has appeared in The Bangalore Review, Cirque Journal, and Flying Ketchup Press.

This event offers a unique opportunity to hear from two extraordinary poets whose work spans themes of love, place, and the vastness of both human and cosmic experience. Don't miss this special night of literary celebration.

³ÉÈËӰƬ the Authors

John Morgan studied with Robert Lowell at Harvard, where he won the Hatch Prize for Lyric Poetry. At the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he earned his MFA with distinction, and was awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize. In 1976, he moved with his family to Fairbanks, ³ÉÈËӰƬ to direct the creative writing program at the University of ³ÉÈËӰƬ. Over the years, he has published eight poetry books, four chapbooks, and a collection of essays. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, The American Poetry Review, The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, and many other magazines. He has won the Discovery Award of the New York Poetry Center, the Quarterly Review of Literature Poetry Prize, a Rasmuson Fellowship, and first prize in the Carolina Quarterly poetry contest, among other awards. Morgan was a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, a Bread Loaf Scholar, and was chosen as the first Writer-in-Residence at Denali National Park. He and his wife Nancy now divide their time between Fairbanks and Bellingham, Washington. For more information visit his website: www.johnmorganpoet.com

Claire-Elise Baalke received a MA in English at the University of ³ÉÈËӰƬ, Fairbanks. She has poetry publications in The Bangalore Review, Cirque Journal and the Flying Ketchup Press. Her debut chapbook A Heavenly Symposium published through Finishing Line Press touches on humanities’ connections with the planets and stars through myth, science, and astrology.