Award-winning poet Julia Kasdorf and acclaimed documentary photographer Steven Rubin, co-authors of “Shale Play,” will participate in “F Word: Poems + Photographs of Witness from Pennsylvania’s Fracking Fields,” Nov. 12 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in 122 Rockefeller Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

“Julia Kasdorf and Steven Rubin use their art to allow people to express their deeply felt emotions and opinions,” said Jane Juffer, professor of English and feminist, gender and sexuality studies. “They see their work as a kind of witnessing, attempting to represent the voices of people whose opinions are not often sought out.”

“Shale play” refers to a region exploited for its natural gas. The book gathers stories from people living in small towns in Appalachian Pennsylvania. Kasdorf will read poetry and Rubin will show his photography at the event, which is an opportunity to listen to citizens living amid the changes brought about by shale gas development.

“Students will be interested in both the content matter and the approach,” Juffer said. “Fracking speaks to a host of environmental concerns: How do we preserve the land and its resources while still respecting people’s need to make ends meet? How do local communities maintain control over their land in the face of powerful energy companies?”

The event is sponsored by the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; American Studies Program; the Department of English; and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

Yvette Lisa Ndlovu is a communications assistant for the College of Arts and Sciences.