Acclaimed poet Linda Bierds will present a reading on Wednesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Austin Reading Room of the Jereld R. Nicholson Library at Linfield College.

Bierds, professor of creative writing at the University of Washington, will read from her latest book of poems, “Roget’s Illusion.” This event is part of the Readings at the Nick series.

“Roget’s Illusion” explores impressions from the optical to the metaphoric and features historical characters such as author Virginia Woolf, scientist Michael Faraday and naturalist Georg Steller. Bierds’ interest in history, art and science creates the basis for most of her poems, which are focused on the lives of others.  Published in 2014, it is Bierds’ ninth book of poetry and one of ten nominations from the National Book Awards of 2014.

Bierds has received numerous awards for her work, including the PEN/West Poetry Award, two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, four Pushcart Prizes, the Consuelo Ford Award from the Poetry Society of America and more. Her work has also appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Smithsonian and Poetry. She has taught English and writing at the University of Washington since 1989.

The reading is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Linfield Nicholson Library and the Linfield English Department. For more information, contact Susan Barnes Whyte at 503-883-2517, swhyte@linfield.edu.