KUTZTOWN ENGLISH PROFESSOR TO READ FROM “RIVER NAMES” AT ROHRBACH LIBRARY ON EARTH DAY, APRIL 22 AT 4:30 PM

READING, PA, April 16, 2026 — Kutztown University will host a reading, book
signing, and “Meet the Poet” event at Rohrbach Library to celebrate Michael
Downing’s new chapbook of poetry, “River Names.” The presentation is a central
feature of Earth Day festivities on campus, and will take place at 4:30 pm in the
Library’s Brick Lounge. Kutztown University welcomes the campus community
and general public to come and listen to these nature poems that reflect Downing’s
interactions with the rivers of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Michael Downing is not only the author of this collection of poetry but
also the photographer of all the images illustrating “River Names,” with the
exception of an image used with permission from historical archives. He is an
internationally recognized scholar of playwright August Wilson.

In the Foreword to “River Names,” poet Brandon Krieg writes, “These are
poems of attention, of noticing the mysterious presences around us that would
otherwise slip by on the stream of time… Downing shows us how natural it is to be
human, how we are never so much ourselves as when we’re out on the water.”

INFO
Dr. Michael Downing teaches courses in Technical Writing, Journalism, and
Composition in the English Department at Kutztown University:
downing@kutztown.edu.
The FOREWORD for “River Names” was written by Dr. Brandon Krieg, who also
teaches in the Kutztown University English Department: krieg@kutztown.edu


About Pretzel City Press:
Pretzel City Press LLC is an independent publisher of literary fiction, poetry,
memoirs, and drama, with headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania. Readers may
purchase books directly from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Booklocker, Firefly
Bookstore (Kutztown, PA), or Simply Bold Bookstore (West Reading, PA), or they
may choose to order an autographed copy of books from PretzelCityPress.com.
Autographed copies arrive via USPO mail along with a complimentary packet of
"reading pretzels" from local pretzel-makers. A percentage of profits from each
book is donated to the qualified, charitable organization of the author's choice.

The poet’s designated charity for “River Names” is Camp Notre Dame, 400 Eaton
Road, Fairview, PA 16415