Serving the communities of OU and Central Oklahoma, The Mark Allen Everett Poetry Reading Series strives to connect readers to contemporary poetry and poetics by giving students and residents alike an opportunity to listen to and speak with poets from all over the United States (and beyond). The poetry universe is diverse, teeming with different styles, philosophies, and world views, but one thing draws it together: poetry is performed, made real in the process of being presented to and among others. The Mark Allen Everett Poetry Series seeks to bring OU students and residents of Central Oklahoma into the unique and electrifying social space created during poetry performance.

The Mark Allen Everett Poetry Series was founded in 2008 by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers and Jonathan Stalling. It is sponsored by The Everett Family Fund, The Oklahoma Humanities Council, The FOCAS Lecture Series, The University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Oklahoma Honor's College, World Literature Today, the SOUNDS OUT Poetry Series of the Expository Writing Program, and the Department of English.