Ken Brewer Receives 2006 Distinguished Humanities Award

The Utah Humanities Council will honor Utah’s Poet Laureate Ken Brewer with the 2006 Distinguished Humanities Award at its annual Human Ties Celebration. The event is Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m., at the Utah State Office Building Auditorium. State legislators will be on hand for the ceremony.

 

Cynthia Buckingham, executive director of the Utah Humanities Council, said she is thrilled to honor Brewer and his work.

 

“Ken Brewer is the quintessential public humanities champion,” Buckingham said. “As a teacher, as a writer and as our poet laureate, he has worked tirelessly to assure that literature is accessible for all of us to enjoy. His own poetry is often inspired by his physical surroundings and everyday activities, but it’s also technically complex, so it appeals to casual readers and scholars alike.”

 

Brewer, a Logan resident, was name to a five-year term as the state’s poet laureate by Gov. Mike Leavitt on Jan. 23, 2003. Brewer, a professor of English at Utah State University for 32 years, has published numerous books of poetry and hundreds of individual poems. He has conducted hundreds of readings and writing workshops throughout the western states.

 

Though he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer last June, he continues to write.

 

“During the chemotherapy I was writing up to two poems a day — that has since slowed to a more normal pace, but I continue,” Brewer said.

 

When asked about the humanities award, Brewer was reflective.

 

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “I see myself as a representative for the arts and humanities for the entire state of Utah, a state that has a rich tradition for both. I’m grateful to be a part of that.”

 

In addition to honoring Brewer, the Humanities Council will also recognize 13 Utah citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of humanities. (See related Highlight)

 

Representing the governor’s office at the event and offering opening remarks will be Yvette Diaz, executive director of the Department of Community and Culture.

 

A small reception follows the Human Ties Celebration. Both the awards ceremony and reception are free and open to the public.

 

“It will be a great opportunity for those attending to mingle with the awardees and our legislators,” Buckingham said.

 

A dinner will be held later that evening to honor all awardees. The dinner begins at 7 p.m. at the Memorial House in Memory Grove in Salt Lake City. The dinner is open to the public, but tickets are required. The cost is $40 per person. For additional details, call UHC at (801) 359-9670.