WHO: Carl Rakosi, poet
Tom Devaney, poet
Al Filreis, professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania

WHAT: Poetry reading by Carl Rakosi via audiocast on his 99th birthday

WHERE: Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk
World Wide Web (e-mail whrakosi@english.upenn.edu for connection)

WHEN: Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. EDT

The Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania will host a reading, conversation and celebration of poet Carl Rakosi's 99th birthday. Rakosi will join the Writers House and moderators Tom Devaney and Al Filreis via audiocast from his home in San Francisco. The program will be available live on the Web. Rakosi will communicate with his audience by an amplified telephone connection. Others will be able to participate by making a simple connection to the Web. Participants will be able to pose questions for Rakosi via e-mail.

Those who plan to participate, whether in person or from a distance, should e-mail whrakosi@english.upenn.edu.

Carl Rakosi began publishing his poetry in the 1920s. His work was published by Ezra Pound and others in magazines associated with a group of writers now known as the Objectivists. His "Collected Poems" was published in 1986 by the National Poetry Foundation. His "Poems 1923-1941" won the PEN Center USA West award in 1996. He lives in San Francisco.

"Carl Rakosi is a link to the great literary history known as Modernism," Tom Devaney said. "He is the last surviving member of the late Modernist poets known as the Objectivists. His commitment to progressive politics and his well-crafted poetry stands the test of time. His use of voices in the collection