April 8, 2025

Ferris State University’s Literature in Person series welcomes poet, professor emeritus Phillip Sterling for National Poetry Month

Professor emeritus and poet Phillip Sterling founded Ferris State University’s Literature in Person event, and now he’s returning as a guest in the series.

The event is Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m. in the David L. Eisler Center’s Fine Art Gallery, at 805 Campus Drive. Sterling’s appearance, at an event that is free and open to the public, is part of National Poetry Month.

Founded by Sterling decades ago, the Literature in Person series brings accomplished authors to campus and highlights the work of students, faculty and staff.

This year’s event features a reading from Sterling’s latest book, Lessons in Geography: The Education of a Michigan Poet, a memoir-in-essays that reflects on his formative years in Michigan and his writing journey.  
Attendees can engage Sterling in discussion, participate in a question-and-answer session, and purchase signed copies of Sterling’s work.

“Poetry is one of the purest expressions of what it is to be a human being,” said event coordinator Deirdre Fagan, who has led the series since 2015. “Celebrating and talking about words is celebrating and talking about what it is to be alive.”

The Literature in Person series provides exposure to the arts and celebrates humanity through literature giving the Ferris State and Big Rapids community a chance to engage with authors about reading and writing. Literature in Person has hosted a diverse range of poets, fiction writers, translators, and nonfiction writers, each bringing unique perspectives and inspiration to attendees.

“This series is not only a way to celebrate the written word but also to inspire our community,” said Fagan, a Ferris State professor and assistant department chair for English, Literature, and World Languages.

Sterling served in Ferris State’s Department of Languages and Literature from 1987 to 2013. He remains an active figure in Michigan’s literary community and currently serves as the newsletter editor for the Poetry Society of Michigan.

“Words matter. They create change. They inspire. They teach,” Fagan said. “Students who attend these events express enthusiasm for meeting living writers who bring the words on the page alive for them.”