August 29, 2005 SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) – Dr. Gary Fincke will read from his recently published collection of poetry, Standing around the Heart, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, in Isaacs Auditorium of Seibert Hall. The reading is open to the public, free of charge, and copies of Standing around the Heart will be available for purchase and signing. Well-received in pre-publication reviews, Fincke’s new collection of poetry has been described by Andrew Hudgins, author of Ecstatic in the Poison, as “marvelous poetry that is both accessible and yet strange, both true and yet mysterious.” Julia Kasdorf, author of Sleeping Preacher, says, “This book shows that the broken things of this world can be made to mean and sometimes even shine.” Fincke has published 18 books of poetry, short fiction and nonfiction, most recently Sorry I Worried You. The collection of short stories received the 2003 Flannery O’Connor Award, arguably the most prestigious prize for literary fiction in the United States. Amp’d: A Father’s Backstage Pass is a personal recording of his son’s rock and roll life with the signed bands Lifer and Breaking Benjamin. His collection of poems Writing Letters for the Blind won the 2003 Ohio State University Press/The Journal Book Award. Fincke has received the Bess Hokin Prize from Poetry Magazine, the Rose Lefcowitz Prize from Poet Lore, a PEN Syndicated Fiction Prize, as well as seven fellowships for creative writing from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. He also won the George Garrett Fiction Prize for a new story called “The Blazer Sestina.” His poems, stories, and essays have appeared in such periodicals as Harper's, Newsday, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, The Georgia Review, American Scholar, and Doubletake. Fincke is a professor of English and creative writing and the director of the Writers’ Institute at Susquehanna University. Through the Writers’ Institute, which oversees the development of more than 60 creative writing majors, Fincke teaches introductory and advanced classes in poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. Contact: Victoria Kidd 570-372-4119 #vk#0352#