Poet Charles Simic, the Strafford resident who was recently named U.S. Poet Laureate, will give a reading at Art-Speak’s “Arts and Economics Prosperity” presentation at the Seacoast Repertory Theater in Portsmouth on Thursday, Sept. 20. The free event begins at 5:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

Simic is the author of 18 books of poetry, in addition to numerous essays and translations. Originally from the former Yugoslavia, he is a professor emeritus at the University of New Hampshire. He won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1990 and has a new book of poems due out in February 2008.

“We are thrilled to have such a prominent, internationally recognized literary artist participating in our event,” Art-Speak president Russ Grazier said in a release. “Mr. Simic is an example the tremendous depth of talent available to us in the greater Portsmouth area.”  

Following Simic’s reading, Randy Cohen, vice president of Americans for the Arts, will give a presentation about the impacts of arts and cultural industry on the Seacoast. The evening concludes with a 6 p.m. reception that will include food and entertainment. For more information, contact Sue Cobler at 603-610-7222 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it