Tom Sexton, professor emeritus of English at the University of Alaska

On Tuesday, October 16, Tom Sexton, professor emeritus of English at the University of Alaska and former poet laureate of Alaska, will return to his roots, presenting a poetry reading at Northern Essex Community College’s Haverhill Campus from noon to 1 p.m.

A 1966 graduate of Northern Essex Community College and a Lowell native, Sexton will read from his books “Bridge Street at Dusk” and “A Clock with No Hands”, both of which feature poems about Lowell during the 1940’s and 50’s.

The reading is free and open to the public and will be held in Lecture Hall A, located in the Spurk Building, 100 Elliott St., Haverhill, MA. After the reading, Sexton will be available to answer questions and sign copies of his books which will be for sale.

After graduating from Lowell High School in 1958, Sexton spent three years in the Army—two of them stationed in Alaska. He returned to Massachusetts and went on to attend Northern Essex, where he joined the literary society and founded Parnassus, the college’s student literary and arts magazine, which is still thriving.

Sexton continued his education, earning a Bachelor’s of English in 1968 from Salem State and a master’s from the University of Alaska.
He taught at the University of Alaska for 25 years, serving as chair of the English Department for 10 years, and poetry editor of the “Alaska Quarterly Review”. From 1995 to 2000, he was poet laureate of Alaska.

Sexton has published 13 books of poetry, which he says “amazes” him.
This reading is sponsored by Parnassus, the college’s arts and literary magazine; the Alumni Office; the Office for Institutional Advancement, the Library, and Marketing Communications.

For more information, contact Lindsey Mayo, NECC Alumni Office, lmayo@necc.mass.edu or 978 556-3621.