PENDLETON — Jack Lorts’ poems have been described as, “unique and thought provoking. They stir the mind and make readers turn their heads to look in a direction they’d probably not thought of looking before.”

On Thursday, Feb. 18, Lorts will be the featured reader at the First Draft Writers’ Series, a program of the Pendleton Center for the Arts. The Zoom-Based event draws literary arts lovers from across the state, including many authors who’ve previously been featured readers themselves. The event starts at 7 p.m., and anyone can request a link by emailing director@pendletonarts.org.

Lorts, a self-described “ex-pat from Suburbia,” has lived in Oregon small towns since the early 1970s. He holds a BA from California State University, Fullerton, (1962) and an M.Ed. from the University of Oregon (1978). He was a teacher for 26 years at the elementary and secondary levels, and a school administrator for 16 years, finishing his career as Superintendent of Schools in Fossil from 1997-2004. After retirement, he served on the Fossil City Council, and from 2009-2015 as the city’s mayor. His writing has appeared widely over the past 50 years in such publications as Arizona Quarterly, Kansas Quarterly, English Journal and High Desert Journal. He’s the author of three chapbooks, most recently “Dear Gilbert Sorrentino & Other Poems.”

Poetry, considered by some as inaccessible and stodgy, is having a resurgence throughout the country, thanks to the work of the United States Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. In a first this year, Super Bowl LV featured a poem in the pre-game presentation, introducing Gormam and contemporary poetry to a new audience.

Local writers, both professional and amateur, are invited to read their own 3-5 minute original work during Open Mic, which follows the featured author each month.

The First Draft Writers’ Series is in its eigth year of bringing notable Northwest authors to Pendleton audiences. More information and a list of past readers is available at pendletonarts.org.