College National Poetry Slam Champion Neil Hilborn will deliver a powerful spoken word performance at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center’s Multi-Purpose Room. This event is free and open to the public and is rated PG-13.

Hilborn is well known for his raw passion and the ability to give his audiences goosebumps with his impactful poetry. In August 2013, his poem OCD went viral and became the most-viewed slam poem ever on YouTube, with over 11 million views to date. He has since been featured on such news outlets as National Public Radio and The Wall Street Journal.

He is a 2011 graduate with honors from Macalester College with a degree in Creative Writing. He was a member of the 2011 Macalester Poetry Slam team, which ranked first in the nation at the College National Poetry Slam, and, in 2012, he co-coached the team, leading them to a second place finish nationally. In 2011, he was also a member of the Minneapolis adult National Poetry Slam team, which placed 5th out of 80 teams from different cities across the nation.

He is the co-founder of Thistle, a Macalester literary magazine, and has run numerous writing workshops with college and high school students. His work has been featured in publications such as Borderline Magazine and Orange Quarterly. In addition, he has written a chapbook, Clatter, and his debut full-length book, Our Numbered Days.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Hilborn now lives in Saint Paul, Minn.

For more information regarding this event, please contact Beth Olsen at 207-768-9582 or elizabeth.olsen@maine.edu.