By BLAKE VINCENT, Staff Writer
Eastern had the pleasure of hosting Ken Hada Sept. 27 in the newly renovated library on the Wilburton campus. Hada is an award-winning poet who is also a professor at East Central University in Ada.. His resume includes honors such as the 2022 Oklahoma Book Award, the 2017 SCMLA Poetry Prize and many other recognitions.
Hada is also the director of the annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival, where poets from all over Oklahoma have the opportunity to show off their art.
After introducing himself to a large crowd of more than 60 students, staff and faculty, he began reading his poetry from a variety of his books he has published. Some poems he gave a little bit of a backstory beforehand, but for the most part he believed his poetry was descriptive enough for the audience to picture and grasp what Hada was trying to speak about. After reading for roughly 30 minutes, there was a short question and answer. Then, once the gathering was over with, Hada gave everyone the opportunity to meet him, sign things, and buy his books. Hada was pleased with the student turnout for this event and student engagement during the readings.
Eastern’s Arts and Humanities Club hosted the event and is just one of several readings that Eastern has hosted or has scheduled in the future. Check out Eastern’s social media pages to keep up with the latest events on campus.
