Poet, essayist and naturalist Diane Ackerman to present reading Feb. 8 at CSB

Poet, essayist and naturalist Diane Ackerman will read from a selection of her works at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8 in the Gorecki Family Theater, Benedicta Arts Center of the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn.

Ackerman has published over two dozen works of nonfiction and poetry. Her most recent book, "One Hundred Names for Love," was a finalist for both the 2012 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critic's Circle. She has also hosted a five-hour PBS television series inspired by her book "A Natural History of the Senses."

After attending Boston College for one year, Ackerman transferred to Penn State University, where she received her bachelor's degree in English in 1970. She continued her education at Cornell University, where she earned her master's in fine arts degree in creative writing and her master's and doctorate in literature.

Some of Ackerman's accomplishments include receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship, Orion Book Award, John Burroughs Nature Award and the Lavan Poetry Prize. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Smithsonian, Parade the New Yorker, National Geographic and a variety of other journals. Ackerman has taught at various institutions, including both Columbia University and Cornell. A molecule - dianeackerone - has also been named after her.

Ackerman will be in residence from Feb. 6-8 at CSB. In addition to her reading, she will host a variety of workshops with nursing and English students, members of Anna Marie's Alliance (a women's shelter in St. Cloud, Minn.) and a local support group for caregivers of stroke survivors. 

Tickets for her reading are $24 for the general public, $21 for seniors, $14 for faculty and staff and $10 for students and youth, and can be purchased at the BAC Box Office, online or by calling 320-363-5777. This event is co-sponsored by the CSB Literary Arts Institute and CSB/SJU Fine Arts Programming.