“Mets Poet” Frank Messina will be sliding into the University of Central Florida Library for a poetry reading, book signing and Q&A session.
The poetry reading begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in room 223 of the Library on UCF’s main campus. A book singing and Q&A session will follow immediately after.
Frank Messina, an avid Mets baseball fan, is the author of four books of poetry including the critically acclaimed Full Count: The Book of Mets Poetry and Disorderly Conduct. His work echoes themes of love, struggle, war, civic responsibility and sports fanaticism. Messina’s poetry has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and The CBS Early Show.
But many know of Messina’s work thanks to The Howard Stern Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live and SNY-TV’s Mets Weekly shows, where Messina’s sport-related works are set to the visual backdrop of moments in Mets history, earning him the title “The Mets Poet.”
Messina has performed spoken word poetry alongside legendary composer David Amram, members of Phish, Sonic Youth and jazz musician Cecil Taylor.
A recipient of the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award, Messina was accepted into The Woolrich Fellowship of Columbia University. Messina currently serves as an artistic advisor to the Jack Kerouac Writer-in-Residence Project of Orlando.
There is no cost to attend and the event is open to the public.Free parking is available in lot B3, located next to the Progress Energy Welcome Center. Directions to campus and the Library can be found on the UCF Parking Services website [1].
The Library is open seven days a week, except on state and university holidays. For hours and more information, visit https://library.ucf.edu [2].