Scott Cairns

media release: Please join us for an evening of poetry and conversation with writer Scott Cairns. We will gather at Dottie’s Ranch, Upper House's retreat center near the Town of Oregon, to enjoy hors d'oeuvres and beverages, after which Cairns will read his work and answer questions. This annual poetry event is a highlight for all who love writing and the arts. (Those honing their writing craft might also want to attend Cairns’ May 17th conversation about his spiritual journey and writing — at Upper House — more here.)

A poet, memoirist, and librettist, Cairns’ work explores faith, beauty, and spiritual longing. He is the author of Short Trip to the Edge: A Pilgrimage to Prayer and The End of Suffering: Finding Purpose in Pain (both from Paraclete Press). Over his career, Cairns has composed several poetry collections plus librettos for The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp and A Melancholy Beauty. 

We encourage you to register soon.

Scott Cairns is a poet, librettist, essayist, and translator. The author of ten poetry collections, his poems and essays have appeared in Poetry, Image, Paris Review, The Atlantic Monthly, and The New Republic. His work has also been anthologized in multiple editions of Best American Spiritual Writing. Cairns is the Curators’ Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri, the founder of writing workshops in Greece, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of the Denise Levertov Award.