County's poet laureate presents his poetry

MIDDLETOWN — Trees: Nature's Living/Giving Gift is a series of seven events throughout the month of November. Included in programming have been lectures, a master class, a workshop all about trees and their vital function in the environment. Also, important ingredients in the mix are the arts, both visual and literary. Orange Hall Gallery is the venue for all the events and includes an art exhibit about trees.

The literary art of poetry is the focus of the program on Monday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. when Orange County Poet Laureate Paul Kane reads selections from his original works. Entitled "The Place of Poetry: Poems from Orange County," the evening reading includes poems set in Orange County, some with environmental themes.

Kane is a professor at Vassar College and an award-winning poet and scholar who resides near the black dirt fields in the Town of Warwick. He holds bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees from Yale University and a master's from the University of Melbourne, Australia. This past July, he was the recipient from La Trobe University, Mildura, Australia of an honorary doctorate. He has published five collections of poems, three anthologies, a critical study, two collaborations with the photographer William Clift, and, most recently, a poetry/music CD with Irish sound artist Katie O’Looney. Kane’s warm and gentle manner engages audiences who relax and listen to him share his thoughts through his poetry.

This event, which is free and open to the public, is presented by Cultural Affairs. For more information, email cultural@sunyorange.edu or call 845-341-4891. Also, go to the Web site www.sunyorange.edu/culturalaffairs.

The event will be held at Orange Hall on the campus of Orange County Community College at the corner of Wawayanda and Grandview Avenues, Middletown.