Poet and Yoga Teacher Michael Sowder to Hold Book Reading and Meditation Class

Idaho State University's Department of English and Philosophy, with the support of Recreation and Wellness, is pleased to host Professor Michael Sowder at ISU on October 9, 2025. Sowder, a long-time yoga practitioner, poet, scholar, and Sanskritist, will give a public reading from his new book, Sacred Letters: Sanskirt, Yoga, and Awakening the Divine, and hold a meditation class open to all in the ISU community.

Sowder’s reading will be held in Liberal Arts 324 at 2:30pm. Sacred Letters offers meditations on each letter of the Sanskrit alphabet. A recent review in Spirituality and Practice calls the work “a rich book,” in which Sowder uses “his own experiences and practice to open up the meanings of these ancient letters.” The reading will be followed by a Q&A session and book sales/signing. The reading is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

At 4:30 in Liberal Arts 244 (the Reading Room for the Department of English and Philosophy), Sowder will lead a meditation class. No previous experience with meditation is required—come ready to manage midterm stress!

Called by David Bottoms, “one of our finest spiritual poets,” Michael Sowder, is an emeritus professor of English and an Affiliated Faculty Member of Yoga Studies and Religious Studies at Utah State University. He teaches meditation, Sanskrit, yoga, and philosophy at Utah State, at the Amrita Yoga Meditation Foundation, which he founded, at Sol Speak Yoga Studio, and other venues. His books include the poetry collections, The Empty Boat, (T.S. Eliot Award); House Under the Moon; and A Calendar of Crows (New Michigan Press Award).