Font Size: A A A

Bluefield College professor and author Dr. Rob Merritt will offer a reading of poetry and discussion from his book, “The Language of Longing,” Tuesday, November 13 at 7 p.m. at the Bluefield Branch of the Tazewell County Public Library.

Chris Shoemaker

October 25, 2012

Dr. Merritt, a professor of English and dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Bluefield College for 12 years, published his book of poetry in April of this year. “The Language of Longing” is a collection of poems about perseverance, travels, and the things that matter most in life.

Labeled “a symphony of life in four movements,” the collection, Dr. Merritt said, is also a testament to the old adage that “the journey is more important than the destination.”

Published by Old Seventy Creek Press, “The Language of Longing” is Dr. Merritt’s second publication in the past two years. He also published a poetry collection called “Landscape Architects” in the spring of 2010.

Dr. Merritt has presented his works and views on writing extensively, not only locally, but regionally. He led a workshop on the use of writing in therapy at the 30th Annual Conference of the National Association for Poetry Therapy (NAPT) in Washington, D.C., in 2010. He also presented at the Appalachian Studies Conference at Marshall University in 2008.

A member of the executive committee of the Virginias Collegiate Honors Council (VCHC), Dr. Merritt attended a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar in Ireland in 2008 and was selected by the Appalachian College Association (ACA) in 2012 to participate in the ACA’s fall ARC (Access, Retention and Completion) Institute for Latino Student Success.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Merritt serves Bluefield College as faculty advisor for the student literary magazine, The Bluestone Review, the Honors Program, and the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. He also taught classes in China in the spring of 2010 as part of BC’s academic exchange program with the Jiangsu Institute of Education.

For more information about his reading and discussion at the Bluefield Branch of the Tazewell County Public Library, please contact the Bluefield College Office of Public Relations by e-mail at or by phone at 276-326-4212 or the Library by phone at 276-326-1577.

Comments: