FARMINGTON – Award-winning poet Terrance Hayes will be the first reader in the University of Maine at Farmington’s 2007-2008 Visiting Writers Series. Hayes will read from his work at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, in The Landing in UMF’s Olsen Student Center.

The reading is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a signing session.

Hailed as one of the most important African-American poets of his generation, Hayes was born in Columbia, S.C. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Coker College in Hartsville, S.C., and a master of fine arts degree in writing from the University of Pittsburgh.

He is author of “Wind in a Box” (Penguin, 2006); “Hip Logic” (2002), which won the National Poetry Series; and “Muscular Music” (1999), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award.

The recipient of many additional honors, including a Whiting Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, a Best American Poetry selection, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, he is professor of creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.