Finney, a member of the University of Kentucky faculty for 23 years, is cofounder of the Affrilachian Poets and the author of numerous collections of poetry, including On Wings Made of Gauze, Rice, Heartwood, The World is Round, and Head Off & Split. Her work has garnered widespread acclaim, including the PEN American Open Book Award and the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award for the Arts in the South Carolina. Head Off & Split was a winner of the National Book Award for Poetry.

A book signing and reception will follow the free reading. Parking is available in lots accessed at the University entrance at 54^th Street and Troost Avenue, or in the parking garage located at 52^nd Street and Troost Avenue. See rockhurst.edu/map for more information. The Midwest Poets Series receives support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.