Cumberlands’ to Host Manuel Iris for Palmer Lecture

No one can escape the reality of mortality, but it does not have to be a frightening thought. Award-winning poet Manuel Iris invites us to explore life, eternity, and the bridges that connect them–not to amplify our anxieties but to embrace the beauty of the human experience. 

Iris – author of Notebook of Dreams, The Disguises of Fire, Traducir el silencio/Translating Silence, and The Parting Present/Lo Que Se Irá, among others – will be the keynote speaker at Cumberlands’ annual Palmer Lecture. The event will be held in the lecture hall on the first floor of the Correll Science complex on Cumberlands’ campus, beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 10th. The event is free and open to the public. 

Iris’ poetry, often open and personal reflections of human emotion and vulnerability, resonates with readers across the nation and globe. The Parting Present/Lo Que Se Irá, a piece exploring parental love and tenderness, won the Reader’s Choice Award in the Ohioan Book Awards in 2022. Cuaderno de los Sueños, a work exploring the intersection of dreams, consciousness, and spiritual existence, won the “Merida” National Award of Poetry in 2009.

In addition to his work as a poet, Iris is currently Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Cincinnati and an English teacher and coordinator of Hispanic outreach at DePaul Cristo Rey High School. In previous years, he served as the Writer-in-Residence at Cincinnati Public Library and Thomas More University. In 2013, he was a visiting professor at Universidad Modelo. Iris is currently a member of the National System of Art Creators of Mexico. 

“Having worked alongside Manuel at Ironwood, a residential creative writing workshop for high school students, I have seen firsthand his passion for poetry and how he ignites that passion in others, especially young writers,” said Dr. Jamey Temple, English and creative writing professor at Cumberlands. “I am delighted that our campus and community can hear him share his work on finding beauty in the mundane and writing the human experience.”

The Dr. Robert L. Palmer Lecture Series is dedicated to Dr. Palmer, a former member of UC’s English Department. Palmer sought to draw attention to the power of the written word. The lecture series was first established by his nephew, John Palmer, in his uncle’s memory.