Gail Browne, who has lived in Los Angeles and San Francisco for the past 20 years, was appointed the new director of the University of Arizona Poetry Center. She assumes leadership of the nationally renowned facility on July 1.

Gail Browne uses literary background to lead Poetry Center

Born and raised in Palm Springs, Calif., Gail Browne's "strong desire to return to a desert landscape" from her long tenure in Los Angeles and San Francisco has brought her to Tucson - and to a position as the new director of the UA Poetry Center.

"When I learned the University (of Arizona) housed a nationally renowned Poetry Center and a diversified and vibrant performing arts series, I was convinced Tucson was the place for me," Browne said in an e-mail interview.

Browne visited the center last spring and was struck by its extensive collection and cozy atmosphere. The UA Poetry Center, founded in 1960 by writer Ruth Stephan, houses a collection of more than 40,000 works, including books, periodicals and video recordings.

Browne relocated from the Bay Area in August. In San Francisco, she was the founder, senior partner and marketing strategist of Browne-Zukow Associates, a marketing and communications company specializing in the arts.

"I decided to sell my share of the company because I had a strong desire to find work that was more aligned with my personal interest in the literary arts and education," Browne stated.

"So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I came upon the listing for the Poetry Center Director position on the UA Web site," she added. "Here was an opportunity to take my organizational and arts marketing skills and use them in a field that is my life's passion. How could I not apply?"

Browne recognizes the vital part poetry plays in the cultural life of Tucson - citing the Tucson Poetry Festival, POG (Poetry Group) and many reading series across the city, in addition to the Poetry Center. In fact, she said the center provides a central role in fostering a literary community in Tucson.

"(It) is often the first point of contact for a person like me, new in town, looking for a place to start connecting with other writers, teachers and like-minded lovers of poetry," she said.

As director of the Poetry Center, Browne will oversee all the activities of the center, including its ongoing poetry reading series and the fund-raising efforts for the center's new facility, now more than halfway to its goal of $4.5 million. She will assume the position, now held by associate professor of English Alison Deming, on July 1.

Although Browne, being new to Tucson, has much to discover regarding "the needs and interests of the various groups attracted to and represented by the reading series," she stated that she plans to uphold the tradition of a diverse panel of writers on the series schedule, including a mix of more established poets with younger voices.

"I want to make sure we continue to celebrate both the aesthetic and identity-based diversity of poetry, which embraces many forms, including spoken word, avant garde, music-based, visual and academic writing," Browne stated. "International, national and local voices all have a place in the reading series. It seems to me a variety of offerings is vital to the success of the program."

Browne described her reception as the new director to be "extremely warm and welcoming." Her introduction to the faculty and staff of the Poetry Center and the university, Browne stated, has not only made her feel as if she has "come 'home,'" but also has helped acclimate her to her new position.

"I've gotten pretty good at waving when being introduced as the new director," she stated.

Dean Charles Tatum of the College of Humanities said the center is "extraordinarily fortunate" to have found Browne to serve as the new director.

"She has a proven record of success as an arts administrator, and has impressed all of us who have met her as exactly the kind of person the Poetry Center needs to lead its development through the conclusion of the campaign for the new facility and into a new era in its history," Tatum stated in a press release.

The staff at the center is also eager to collaborate with Browne.

"I'm enthusiastic to work with Gail Browne," said Frances Sjoberg, events coordinator for the center. "Her vision for the Poetry Center is aligned with the Poetry Center's mission to expand and diversify the audience for poetry and to foster partnerships between the university and the community."

Browne said that she did have some fears when she was notified of her acceptance, but she's confident in her abilities to lead this nationally recognized facility.

"These fears were mitigated by the fact that for the past 20 years I have been required to learn and adapt quickly to new situations," she stated. "So I do feel prepared for what lies ahead."