The event also features the editor of Poetry Magazine, Christian Wiman, three current or former Texas Poet Laureates, Alan Birkelbach, Paul Ruffin and Karla Morton, and award winning poets Kevin Prufer, Sandra Beasley, Arthur Smith and Ada Limon.
At the symposium, the professional poets would read their work and talk about the contemporary state of poetry. Rode said he hoped those who attend the event would see the human face behind the poets and their work.
"We're trying to show people that poetry is alive and well, it's not something that should just be left in the classroom," he said. "Real people talk about their real experiences in accessible ways through poetry."
