SHARON, Pa. — As part of its ongoing celebration of Black History Month, Penn State Shenango hosts renowned author and poet Quartez Harris on Monday, Feb. 26 at 12:15 p.m.  

Harris, who struggled with reading and writing as an elementary and high school student, later developed a passion for poetry as a tool to write visually. In 2014, Harris published his first collection of poems, titled “Nothing, but Skin,” which earned first place at the 2nd Annual Grand Tournament competition hosted by Writing Knights. 

Harris' second published poetry collection, titled “We Made it to School Alive,” was inspired by the experiences of the children he works with as a teacher, highlighting issues such as structural barriers, intergenerational poverty, gun violence, and educational negligence, among others. 

Harris was named the Ohio Poetry Association's Poet of the Year for 2021 and was the first Barbara Smith Writer-in-Resident and Baldwin House Fellowship recipient. His work has also been featured on various media outlets, including the Plain Dealer, Ideastream, and City Club of Cleveland. 

The poetry reading event on Feb. 26 is being held in Lecture Hall room 223 on the Shenango campus at 147 Shenango Ave. in Sharon and is free and open to the public.