This Monday marks the first indoor Monday Monologue event at Parks Library in two years. The event will feature Iowa State’s Romeo Oriogun, a postdoctoral research associate in the creative writing and environment programs.

Oriogun, who is a Nigerian poet and essayist, will be reading excerpts from his latest work “Sacrament of Bodies.”

Susan Gent, the community engagement specialist who organizes Monday Monologues, said she is excited to listen to Oriogun’s presentation in person.

“Romeo just published “Sacrament of Bodies” and recently had a poem in The New Yorker in which the voice of exile tells stories of terror and violence in a beguiling soft lilt,” Gent said. “Since I’ve listened to that reading, I’ve been even more excited for Romeo’s reading because I know the nuances of a live reading routinely deepen my understanding of an artist’s work and of poetry in general.”

According to the Monday Monologue webpage, Oriogun is the winner of the 2017 Brunel International African Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the Lambda Prize for poetry and for The Future Awards African Prize for Literature. The website also states that his poems and work have been featured in Poetry, the New Yorker, Harvard Review, American Poetry Review, among others.

Gent said that attending a Monday Monologue is a great way for students, faculty and staff to start their week.

“Monday Monologues offers a low-key venue for the Iowa State Community to share their expertise with the campus community as well as a place for students to try something new for a little while,” Gent said. “Nothing beats starting the week with a free, artistic experience that moves and entertains you.”

Gent said she hopes students and staff will take time out of their busy schedules to come to the live performance.

“Whether in the acoustic Grant Wood Mural Lobby or on the steps outside of Parks Library listening to something fresh and personal, Monday Monologues is an opportunity to experience the power of live performance,” Gent said.

The event will take place in the Grant Wood Mural Lobby north of Bookends Café in Parks Library at 12:15 p.m. on Monday. While the event is in-person, a video of the presentation will be available on the Iowa State University Library’s YouTube page.

More information about the event can be found here.

If you are interested in being featured during a Monday Monologue event or know of someone who is interested, Susan Gent is available by email to plan the events for the coming fall.