Margaret Dawe described poet Gregory Orr as a ‘rock star’ in the literary world.

“Gregory Orr is one of the most important poets of his generation,” Dawe, associate professor and director of the Creative Writing Program at Wichita State, said. “He’s been writing for so many years and is still so important.”

Orr will give a poetry reading at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Ulrich Museum of Art as part of the 2013-14 WSU Reading Series. The event is free for WSU students and open to the public. Food and drinks will be available.

Watermark Books will bring a wide selection of Orr’s work for purchase.

“We provide books at the event for authors to sign,” Watermark marketing director Beth Golay said. “It’s a great way for students to visit with the authors.”

Orr has published numerous poetry collections, essays and a memoir. His most recent poetry collection is titled “The River Inside the River.”

Orr is a professor at the University of Virginia. He has received numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and two poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Art. In 2003, he was given the Award in Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Born in Albany, N.Y. in 1947, events from his childhood shaped his work. He wrote about a hunting accident when he was 12, accidentally shooting and killing his brother. Orr was also active in the Civil Rights movement.

WSU professor and acclaimed poet, Albert Goldbarth, said Orr’s newest book considers poetry as fulfilling and life enhancing.

“His work speaks very intelligently about art,” Goldbarth said. “It can transform tragedy into something more healing and noble.”

Goldbarth also spoke about the themes prevalent in Orr’s work.

“The poems tend to be brief and quiet,” Goldbarth said. “But they are really grown-up in what they chose to consider: pain and pleasure, dreams and complications.”

Dawe said the event might be crowded because of Orr’s popularity.

“He is a professional,” Dawe said. “The reading will be put together in a way that feels like a performance.”

The 2013-14 Reading Series continues through April 27, with five events after this one. The next reading features Alice McDermott on Oct. 4.