Continuing the long-running annual tradition of sonnet and verse, Lone Star College-Montgomery’s Writers In Performance series is hosting a birthday celebration for acclaimed poet Walt Whitman, on Thursday, May 10, at 3 p.m., in the Library Building (Building F).

This ode to Whitman will feature a one-man dramatic performance by poet and professor Bruce Noll. The program, entitled “Pure Grass,” is composed entirely of excerpts from Whitman's Leaves of Grass and weaves together many of the poet's themes.

Noll has presented Whitman’s poetry all over the world—from Hawaii to Iceland—for more than 30 years. He currently teaches in the department of educational leadership and organizational learning at the University of New Mexico.

Later that evening, to continue the celebration, the Writers in Performance series will host Noll, along with many other published poets and Whitman fans, for the annual Gathering of Poets, at 7 p.m., at the Corner Pub in downtown Conroe. The evening will feature poetry readings and book sales and signings.

All events are free and open to the public.

The goal of the Writers in Performance series is to bring thought-provoking literature and cultural diversity to the campus of LSC-Montgomery and the surrounding community. The series’ events are made possible by the partnership between the Montgomery County Literary Arts Council, LSC-Montgomery Library, the Conroe Commission on the Arts and Culture, Good Books in the Woods, LSC-Montgomery’s Academy for Lifelong Learning, and SWIRL, LSC-Montgomery’s magazine of student art and writing.

For more information, contact Dave Parsons, professor of English at LSC-Montgomery, at 936.524.6537 or David.M.Parsons@lonestar.edu.

LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call 936.273.7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.

With 75,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and the fastest-growing community college system in Texas. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball, and LSC-University Park, five centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.