ALTOONA, Pa. — Brown University’s African Poetry Book Fund, the Literary Arts Department and the Department of Africana Studies/Rites and Reason Theatre will present "Voicing Patricia Jabbeh Wesley: Book Launch of the Liberian Writer’s Collected Poems," celebrating the book launch of “Patricia Jabbeh Wesley: Collected Poems, 1998–2020” at the Rites and Reason Theatre on Friday, Sept. 25.

Wesley is a professor of English at Penn State Altoona and the first major poet out of Africa’s oldest republic, Liberia, since the nation’s founding.

The celebration event will feature a staged performance of Wesley’s poetry, directed by Kwame Dawes, professor of literary arts at Brown University. There will also be an interview with Penn State Associate Professor Gabeba Baderoon, author of the collection’s introduction, and a poetry reading by Wesley.

A catered reception and book signing will follow the event.

“Patricia Jabbeh Wesley: Collected Poems, 1998–2020” marks the fifth title of the Contemporary Classics imprint of the African PoetryBook Series, edited by Dawes. These volumes highlight the breadth and length of major African poets’ careers and contributions to world literature.

Spanning two decades of work, the poems in this collection tell stories of Wesley’s homeland as she recounts her life as a refugee, mother, wife and African woman.