Alicia Ostriker, Penn State's poet-in-residence, has delivered her poetry about women's issues all over the world, including some interesting and unconventional locations.

"One of the biggest, loveliest surprises was reading in India for the first time," Ostriker said. "I thought the audience would be students, but it was businessmen. I took a chance and read a poem on pregnancy, and I felt entirely at home."

Ostriker will be bringing her talents to Penn State today for a weeklong poet-in-residence series sponsored by the libraries and the English department.

Robin Becker, professor of English and women's studies, said the poet-in-residence series sponsors a visit by a nationally acclaimed poet. Ostriker will be holding two public events, as well as visiting undergraduate and graduate classes of students who have read her poems and essays. Becker said Ostriker will also hold individual meetings with poetry students.

"It is nice to have another viewpoint, and I treasure new insights and suggestions," Stephanie Pyle (graduate-poetry) said. "Hopefully [Ostriker] will present ways I can push my work that extra step and polish it to be the best it can be."

This is the second year the poet-in-residence series will occur.

Poet Michael Walters appeared last year and held individual meetings with poetry students where she examined their poems, Laura White (graduate-poetry) said.

"We will be doing the same thing with Alicia Ostriker," White said. "Last year was really helpful with my craft, getting such focused attention."

Ostriker began her writing as a feminist, breaching such topics as life, death, family, and women's issues. Many of her topics about the female experience were taboo at the time, Ostriker said.

"In 1964 I found myself writing a long poem about pregnancy, which is pretty universal," Ostriker said. "Very early on I had people walk out of readings because they were shocked. It wasn't a topic for literature."

With 11 collections of poetry and essays, Ostriker has written many essays about female poets, Becker said.

"She is a poet of great social consciousness and social awareness," White said. "She confronts things that are troubling in our society."

Ostriker's poetry, though presenting feminist issues, is more about domestic feminism, Pyle said.

"[Ostriker] is a rock star poet, having such success in her career," Pyle said. "Being able to see someone on top of their game, it's inspirational."

Although some poetry can seem obscure, Ostriker's poetry is very accessible and has clarity, Daniel Pinkerton (graduate-poetry) said.

"[Ostriker's] writing is very genuine and heartfelt, and she writes about experiences that are hard to write about," Pinkerton said. "When she writes about others, she shows a real effort to understand other people's motives. She seems open-minded and honest."

Ostriker's poetry tries to help people understand where they fit in and the political nature of our lives, Becker said.

"I say to my students 'We don't write in a vacuum!'" Becker said.

"Alicia uses an understanding of a shared communal experience of being on Earth at the same time to deepen our connection to our lives and others," she said.

Ostriker taught at Rutgers University for 40 years and has recently retired. She now teaches in a low-residency masters program at New England College.

"My mother was an English major, and she wrote and read poetry to me," Ostriker said. "It has never been a foreign language to me."

Ostriker's earlier work confronted maternal issues and then turned to other issues, Pyle said.

"This is one reason why I admire [Ostriker]," Pyle said. "She blazed a trail for the rest of us."