Ken Hada presents new book, “Come Before Winter” in time for Scissortail Creative Writing Festival

ADA, Okla. – East Central University’s own Dr. Ken Hada has published his eleventh collection of poetry, titled “Come Before Winter,” that was released by Turning Plow Press.

The ECU Linscheid Library is hosting a book talk by Hada on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. to discuss the new publication. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

“Come Before Winter” was published in 2023 and was met with resoundingly positive feedback from notable authors such as Lou Berney and the literary magazine, World Literature Today, among others.

“Come Before Winter is’ an invitation written with a keen and pressing awareness of time passing, measured, and marked by the turning of seasons,” states author Paul Bowers in the book’s introduction. “Like the pastoral letter from Paul to Timothy, from which the title is taken, these poems arrive as exhortations to the reader to meditate, as Emerson says, on "the flux of all things."

“Some of the poems, probably most of them, were inspired by the passing of time and the realization that my life would be changing/is changing seasons,” Hada reflects.

Hada is in his 24^th year as a professor for the Department of English and Literature.

“Dr. Hada teaches a diverse range of subjects that include writing, literature, poetry, research and critical analysis,” said Dr. Steven Pedersen, the chair of the English and Language department at ECU. “He reads poetry with his boots on and demonstrates for students that literature isn’t for the wealthy and privileged only, but made by cowboys and cattle ranchers too. He inspires confidence that country people can write poetry and publish at the highest levels, because he has.”

For more information on “Come Before Winter” and Hada’s other publications, visit kenhada.org.

Hada also serves as the director of ECU’s annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival, now entering its 19^th year.

The 19^th annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival will be taking place April 4 – 6, 2024 across the ECU campus. 70 plus authors will be featured with keynote speakers including Kai Coggin, Steve Yarbrough and Quraysh Ali Lansana.

This event is also free and open to the public, for more information visit, ecuscissortail.blogspot.com.