Poet, Essayist Ross Gay to Appear at Dominican University

For immediate release

Contact: [email protected]

River Forest, IL-Poet and essayist Ross Gay will lead a celebration of poetry, joy and the power of paying attention during the 2025 Caesar and Patricia Tabet Poetry Reading at Dominican University in River Forest.

The event will take place on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Dominican's Parmer Hall Atrium on the campus at 7900 W. Division St.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and can be purchased here. The event is free to Dominican faculty, staff and students who reserve tickets.

Gay is the author of four acclaimed poetry collections, including Be Holding, the winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award, and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award and Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award.

His bestselling essay collections, The Book of Delights, Inciting Joy, and The Book of (More) Delights, invite readers to find beauty and connection in the everyday.

During this special evening, Gay, who is known for his warmth and humor, will share selections from his work and offer reflections.

The Caesar and Patricia Tabet Poetry Reading is made possible through the generosity of the Caesar and Patricia Tabet Poetry Endowment Fund. The fund was created by Patricia Tabet, Rosary College Class of 1952, to bring poets to Dominican University for annual readings.

About Dominican University

Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering an Associate of Arts in liberal arts and sciences, as well as bachelor's and master's degrees through the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences, the Borra College of Health Sciences, the Brennan School of Business and the College of Applied Social Sciences. The university also offers doctoral degrees in information studies and applied social justice. U.S. News & World Report ranks Dominican University in the top 20 of Midwest regional master's level universities, #1 in the Midwest for Best Value and #1 in Illinois for best undergraduate teaching and ensuring the social mobility of its graduates. A nationally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, Dominican University has campuses in River Forest and Chicago's Pilsen community.