Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE -- The United States Poet Laureate is coming to Gwinnett.

Natasha Trethewey, a University of Georgia graduate and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, was named the U.S. Poet Laureate by the Library of Congress in June. In October, and courtesy of the Gwinnett County Public Library, she'll be stopping by Georgia Gwinnett College to discuss her work.

The event will be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7 at the Georgia Gwinnett College Student Center.

Book sales begin at 4:30 p.m., with doors opening at 4:45 p.m.

Trethewey, a native of Gulfport, Miss., is the author of three collections of poetry, including the 2006 publication "Native Guard," for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. Her newest work, titled "Thrall," will be released this fall.

"Her poems dig beneath the surface of history -- personal or communal, from childhood or from a century ago -- to explore the human struggles that we all face," Librarian of Congress James Billington said when Trethewey was announced as Poet Laureate.

Trethewey's visit is part of the Gwinnett County Public Library's "Fall Into The Arts" program. For more information, visit gwinnettpl.org.