All Lone Star College-Montgomery faculty, staff and students are invited to a reception honoring our own Dave Parsons, adjunct English faculty member, who was recently named the 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate, which is Texas’ highest literary honor. This is an incredible accomplishment, not only for Dave, but for our college!

What:             Reception honoring Dave Parsons, the 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate
When:            2-3 p.m., Thursday, May 12
Where:           LSC-Montgomery Library Building (Building F, in the Library, 1st floor)
Who:              All LSC-Montgomery faculty, staff and students

Parsons, a Conroe writer, author and educator, has taught creative writing—and handball—at LSC-Montgomery since its earliest days. In 2005-06, he served as Montgomery County Poet Laureate.

Each year, the Texas Commission on the Arts names official state artists in poetry and music as well as two- and three-dimensional art based on their contributions to their particular art form. During their one-year term, Texas State Artists serve as ambassadors promoting the arts in Texas. While there is no cash prize or direct compensation that accompanies the title of Texas poet laureate, recipients enjoy academic and literary prestige as well as greater publishing and appearance opportunities.

Over the last 15 years, Parsons founded and guided the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council Writers in Performance Series, bringing in some of the most distinguished authors to LSC-Montgomery and other local venues for free readings and lectures, including several U.S. and Texas Poet Laureates, and several National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners.

For more information about Dave Parsons, visit www.daveparsonspoetry.com.