Poet Mary Oliver, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, will receive an honorary degree from Marquette University on Monday, Nov. 12. The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union's Monaghan Ballroom.

The event is free and open to the public but tickets are required. Members of the public can pick up two tickets per person at the Alumni Memorial Union Brooks Lounge. Tickets are extremely limited.

Oliver will also read from her poems during the event. Oliver's new poetry collection, "A Thousand Mornings," will be released on Oct. 11. She will be signing the book immediately following her reading at 5:30 p.m. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

"Even when she tackles difficult subjects, she never writes in a difficult style. No one needs special training to read her work; she helps readers of all backgrounds connect with the profoundest parts of themselves," says Dr. Angela Sorby, Associate Professor of English at Marquette.

Call the University Special Events for more information at (414) 288-7431.