Writer Paul Beatty to Give Reading

Writer Paul Beatty will give a reading on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 4:30 p.m. in the Browsing Room of Dinand Library. Sponsored by the Jenks Chair, the English department and African American studies, the reading is free and open to the public.

The author of two collections of verse, "Big Bank Take Little Bank" and "Joker, Joker, Deuce," and two novels, "Tuff" and "The White Boy Shuffle," Beatty has been labeled the "premier bard of hip-hop."

The New York-based writer draws from popular culture in his poems and novels. There are countless references, ranging from hip-hop and jazz to comic books, kung-fu films and basketball obsessions, in his writing.

Beatty received an M.F.A. in creative writing from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, where he studied with poet Allen Ginsberg.