Irish poet Joan McBreen will be kicking off the Faculty-in-Residence Series by the Honors College tonight at 6 p.m. in Gordon Palmer Hall, Room 208.

The event, during which McBreen will read selections of her poetry, is free to attend. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet her at a catered reception after the reading.

“It’s going to be a nice informal setting for anyone interested in poetry,” said Amy Dayton-Wood, assistant professor in English and a faculty resident for the Honors College.

McBreen is from Sligo, Ireland, and has written many poems and anthologies of the works of women and young poets.

Her poetry has been published widely in Ireland and has been translated into many languages and published abroad as well.

Salmon Poetry in Ireland has published all of her works as a poet and anthologist since she started in the early ‘90s. She has also brought Irish women poets’ works together and published them in a book called “The White Pages.”

“I’m delighted to be here in Alabama,” McBreen said. “I’d be more than happy to read for [the audience] and have discussions with them in an informal or formal way about any aspect of the reading they would like to talk about.”

McBreen is currently doing a United States tour that includes many different college campuses. She and her husband have been traveling in the U.S. since the beginning of September.

“I’m excited about being in Alabama in the first place,” McBreen said. “I’ve never been here before.”

Jennifer Horne, instructor for the Honors College, met McBreen in Ireland and suggested her as a potential poet for the series.

“I just fell in love with her poetry,” Horne said. “Also her work as an editor with young poets.”

McBreen is a well-known poet in Ireland, and much of her work uses imagery from West Ireland. William B. Yeats also drew inspiration from that region, Horne said.

“She’s a wonderful poet,” Horne said. “She’s also very generous with her time and energy with other poets. She’s a very good fit with the Honors College because she’s striving for excellence in what she does and also has a real generosity of spirit in regard to others. That’s what the Honors College is about.”

This is the fourth year of the Faculty-in-Residence series, which is used to create a more diverse Honors College and appeal to a wide variety of students, Dayton-Wood said. It is put on by a group of faculty that lives in the residence halls and teach in the Honors College.

Jacqueline Morgan, associate dean of the Honors College, said these faculty members serve as informal and formal mentors to the students, so the students know they have someone to go to for support.

The faculty brings in scholars in order to expose students to different things. Morgan said the Honors College is trying to have a comprehensive approach to the development of youth.

She said they want students to reach out and try something new so they can seek new information and knowledge, and so that their knowledge has the opportunity to grow.

“It’s very broad and wide-ranging what we’ve been able to bring to the students,” Dayton-Wood said. “Each year we’ve gotten better and better.”

This will be McBreen’s first time in Alabama. Her visit to the University was the basis of her trip, but she will also be reading at Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Montevallo and Huntingdon College.

Horne said McBreen has a beautiful reading voice and is pleasing to hear, so people who don’t necessarily have a passion for poetry will enjoy the reading.

The event will also have some of McBreen’s books and CDs for sale after her reading, along with a book signing.

McBreen’s work and more information about her can be found on her website joanmcbreen.com.

Info Box:

What: Poetry reading and reception

Where: Gordon Palmer Hall, Room 208

When: Tonight at 6 p.m.

Who: Irish poet Joan McBreen

How much: Free admission