ATHENS, Ohio (February 26, 2001) -- Nationally acclaimed poet and essayist Wayne Koestenbaum will read from his work at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 1, in the Music Building Recital Hall. The reading is sponsored by the Department of English's Creative Writing Program and is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the reading.

Koestenbaum, an English professor at City University of New York, is the author of seven books of cultural criticism and poetry, including his most recent book, "Cleavage: Essays on Sex, Stars, and Aesthetics."

The work is a collection of essays on topics covering such cultural icons as actress Elizabeth Taylor and artist Robert Mapplethorpe as well as critiques of fashion and aesthetics. His other books include "Jackie Under My Skin: Interpreting an Icon" and "The Milk of Inquiry."

A Library Journal reviewer writes, "Koestenbaum succeeds because he possesses the poet's true courage. He has composed a poem that should be the letter you dare not write or send."