Anthony
(Tony) Bukoski will visit campus on September 14 and 15, 2011.
On Wednesday, September 14, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., there
will be a reception, buffet, and a reading/conversation with Bukoski and drawing
from his most recent book,
North of the Port
at the Saint John’s Pottery Studio.North of the Port is the critically acclaimed fifth collection of short stories by Bukoski. As in his previous books, Bukoski’s North of the Port brings the reader into the world of the Polish-American community in Superior, Wisconsin. Often compared to Ray Carver’s portrait of working class communities in the Puget Sound or Pete Hamill’s stories of the Irish in New York, Bukoski’s stories bring empathy and compassion to the lives of Polish Americans and the blue collar community of Superior, Wisconsin from its booming days in the post-WWII era to its decline and near disappearance in recent times.
For the greater part of his career and until his retirement this summer, Bukoski was a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. He also served as a marine at DaNang, South Vietnam. He has been a car wash attendant, short order cook, camp counselor, and janitor. He has salvaged bauxite from derailed tank cars and worked in the complaint department at Sears. He received the Oskar Halecki Prize from the Polish American Historical Association and a three-time nominee for the Pushcart prize. In 1997, he was featured in the PBS video A Sense of Place: A Portrait of Three Midwestern Writers.
His presentation at the Pottery Studio on September 14 is free and open to the public. While on campus, Bukoski will be meeting with classes, students, faculty and staff. If you have any questions or wish further information, please contact Ms. Norma Koetter (nkoetter@csbsju.edu). Bukoski’s visit is co-sponsored by the University Chair in Critical Thinking, Literary Arts Institute, and the Saint John’s Pottery Studio.