HAYS, Kan. -- Drums and verse will be presented by Midwestern poet Kevin Rabas at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 4, in the gallery of the Hays Public Library on 1205 Main Street in Hays. His visit is sponsored by Fort Hays State University's Department of English.

Rabas has published two books, "Lisa's Flying Electric Piano," in 2009, and "Bird's Horn and Other Poems," in 2007. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals such as "Poetry Midwest," "The Mid-America Poetry Review," "Rockhurst Review," "Pinyon," "Midwest Quarterly," "Touchstone" and others. He has received the Langston Hughes Prize for Poetry.

He currently co-directs the creative writing program at Emporia State University and is an editor of the journal "Flint Hills Review." He has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing as well as a Ph.D. in English. Rabas has given readings and presentations all across the country.

During his visit to Hays, he will meet with members of the FHSU English 602 class, "Topics in Writing: Poetry Workshop." Conducting a master class with the students, Rabas will provide students with individualized feedback on poetry submitted to him in advance. visit is sponsored by the FHSU Department of English.

To find out more or to read samples of his work, visit his Web site at www.kevinrabas.com. For more information about the reading, contact Dr. Amy Cummins, assistant professor of English, at (785) 628-4243 or acummins@fhsu.edu.