Poet, bookseller and publisher Gary Lawless is receiving the 2017 Constance H. Carlson Public Humanities Prize from the Maine Humanities Council, an award honoring "an individual, institution, or group in recognition of exemplary contributions to public humanities in Maine."
Lawless is the owner, with his wife, Beth Leonard, of Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick, which the two founded in 1979. He also is the editor and publisher of Blackberry Books and has had 16 collections of his poetry published.
Lawless has encouraged others to find their voice with poetry, working with veterans groups, immigrant communities, and more. He works, too, with Spindleworks, an arts center in Brunswick whose mission is to help children and adults with disabilities achieve full and inclusive lives in their chosen community.
Lawless will be honored during a luncheon on March 24 at Bowdoin College.