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Lafayette creative writing students will present “Imagination Nation,” a poetry reading, from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in the Farinon Center snack bar. Each student will read at least one original poem, and group poetry will be read as well. An open mike will follow the student reading, and there will be musical interludes between poems.
Free and open to the public, the event is sponsored by the Department of English and the Alpha Phi and Kappa Kappa Gamma sororities. It is part of Lafayette’s celebration of National Poetry Month.
The students are in the creative writing class taught by Lee Upton, an accomplished poet and the first faculty member at Lafayette to hold the title writer-in-residence. She is the author of four books of poetry and three of criticism.
“Her creative writing class is wonderful,” says Alycia Campbell ’02 of Lancaster, Pa., who helped organize the reading. “I am an English major and have had to write everything from research papers to critical analysis. In her class, I was able to find a new more creative and expressive form of writing. I am very thankful that I was able to learn from Professor Upton. She has quite a lot to give her students and has really opened my eyes to exploring my creative side.”
Marie Bateson ’01 of Winston Salem, N.C. has found Upton to be one of the most encouraging and helpful professors she has encountered. “Her class has tremendously aided my development as a writer because it helps me approach writing in ways I’d never thought of before,” she says. “It is also wonderful to hear everyone else’s work in the class; I’ve gained such respect for them all as writers. The class has a very comfortable, yet completely focused atmosphere.”
“I know I’m probably not the only one in the class who’s excited but nervous about the poetry reading,” she adds. “You spend so much time on a poem that it becomes a very personal thing, and sharing it with such a large audience is daunting. I would recommend that everyone try and come because there are some really talented writers in our class.
“The class is great,” notes Stephen Chiger ’01 of Westfield, N.J., a two-time winner of the Jean Corrie Poetry Competition and an honorable mention in this year’s MacKnight Black Poetry Competition. “We spend a few hours each week reading and evaluating each other’s poetry. It’s a rare opportunity to hear 16 voices critiquing your work at once. Occasionally, that’s daunting, but it’s always worthwhile. Professor Upton is a credit to our college and a wonderful person. We’re lucky to have her.”
In past years, the poetry reading was held at noon. Chiger hopes the switch to nighttime will create a more relaxed atmosphere and attract a larger audience.
The class has given Suzanne Kennedy ’01 of North Providence, R.I. the opportunity to write in a more personal setting. “I feel like I am writing for myself, and for a willing audience,” she explains. “The people in the class are understanding, and genuinely interested in each others’ writing. I think that we really influence and encourage each other to write at our best. The class is a mix of people who have been writing creatively for years, as well as students who haven’t written a poem in their lives. We have people who are English majors, and people who are engineers. I’ve learned that this kind of diversity is what makes modern literature so dynamic and exciting, and professor Upton makes us feel like we are contributing by encouraging us without imposing her own preferences.”
Kennedy is excited about the poetry reading. “There are a lot of talented writers in the class who probably didn’t know they had it in them until now,” she says. “Plus, we really have fun together. Besides reading our own poems, we have decided to compose a few group pieces that I think will add a few surprises to the reading.”