USU English Department Hosts Ken Brewer Festival of Writing

LOGAN — Utah’s first poet laureate, David Lee, was invited to Utah State University's Logan campus to share his work with students and the community as part of the now-annual Ken Brewer Festival of Writing, sponsored by the Department of English. A live jazz band accompanied the open-mic readings that followed.

USU’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art graciously opened its doors Monday, Sept. 26, to host the special reading and memorialize Ken Brewer, a former USU professor and the second poet laureate of Utah, who died in 2006 after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

“Ken was more than a friend, more than a brother, he was my son’s Godfather,” said David Lee, whose words were echoed by other USU faculty saying that Brewer was loved by all and a friend and mentor to many. Brewer published eight volumes of poetry and more than 300 individual poems, essays, and reviews in literary journals.

Lee acted as a voice for Brewer at the festival, reading selections from Brewer’s work as well as Lee’s own. The author of many collections of poetry and a former professor at Southern Utah University, Lee earned every teaching award offered by the university and was named Teacher of the Year on three separate occasions.

Following Lee’s presentation, audience members comprised of students, faculty and community members were invited to share their work during the open mic.

The event included a backing jazz band that modified and adapted their performance to match the poems that were read, being told by the writers to “play something sultry” or “play something salty” before they began. Madi Ball, a USU student who shared her work that night, asked the band if they could “resemble a clock” before she read aloud.

Writers of varying ages and backgrounds were featured throughout the open mic but came together to share their art and voices in the spirit of keeping Brewer’s legacy alive. This is the second time USU’s English department has sponsored this kind of event in Brewer’s honor. The inaugural Ken Brewer Celebration of Writing took place in September 2021.

A cornerstone of Utah State University, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences brings together faculty members engaged in original research and creative activities to teach and mentor students who aspire to be leaders in their professions and communities. Degrees in humanities and social sciences cultivate highly-adaptable professional skills in students through teaching effective communication, research, data analysis and creative problem-solving.