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The College of Central Florida’s Debra Vazquez Memorial Poetry Series presents poet Adrian Matejka on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

Matejka will read from his collection at 12:30 p.m. in Building 8, Room 110, and at 7 p.m. in the Dassance Fine Arts Center on the 91��Ƭ Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. Both readings are free and open to the public.

Born in Germany to a military family, Matejka grew up in Indiana. The editor of Poetry magazine earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University and served as Indiana’s poet laureate in 2018-2019.

Matejka’s most recent collection of poems, “Somebody Else Sold the World,” was a finalist for the 2022 Rilke Prize. His third collection of poems, “The Big Smoke,” was awarded the 2014 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award, 2014 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and 2014 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. He has collaborated on mixed media projects, and his first graphic novel, “Last on his Feet,” will be released this year.

The poet’s other honors include fellowships from the Academy of American Poets, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Debra Vazquez Memorial Poetry Series honors 91��Ƭ English and creative writing professor Debra Vazquez, who died as a result of domestic violence in 2004.

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