Dear Poets and Friends of Poetry,
As past participants in the WCU Poetry Conference, we thought you would be interested in hearing about the Poetry Center activities during the past year and what’s in the pipeline so far for the upcoming year.
Student Poets – May I have the envelope please…
We are pleased to announce the Spencer poetry award winners. These students represent five schools from across the nation, including our very own West Chester University! As one of the Center’s goals is to recognize excellence in poetry and to encourage poetic achievement, we are extremely proud that we have been able to continue to support students through these award opportunities. First place winners of the Iris N. Spencer and Myong Cha Son Haiku awards receive a $1,500 prize. The second place winners of those awards and the winner of the Rhina P. Espaillat award each receive a $500 prize.
The winners are….
Award Name School
Iris N. Spencer-1st place Colleen Kochensparger University of Kentucky
Iris N. Spencer-2nd place Rachel Oestreich New Mexico State University
Myong Cha Son Haiku-1st place Katherine Kocotas West Chester University
Myong Cha Son Haiku-2nd place Andres Gomez University of Tulsa
Rhina P. Espaillat Angela Acosta Smith College
And the Beat Goes On…with Rhythm and Rhyme
The WCU Poetry Center’s Donald Justice Award provides an opportunity for poets to publish their original book-length collection of poems and to be recognized for their interpretation of traditional form.
We are pleased to announce that 2015 Justice Prize winner Pat Valdata’s, Where No Man Can Touch, has been published. Jeff Hardin’s Restoring the Narrative is currently with the editor and will be published soon.
Both winners will be honored publicly at the 2016 WCU Poetry Conference.
So, Mark Your Calendars…
The WCU Poetry Conference will be held June 8 - June 11, 2016.
Poetry Salons…
The WCU Poetry Center Poetry Salons provide an opportunity to engage community members with the art and craft of poetry.
On January 17, 2015, a wonderful salon was held at the home of Garrett and Muriel McDaniel featuring David Yezzi. To catch a glimpse of the magic of this evening, click here to see David reading Mother Carey’s Hen, accompanied by WCU student harpist Elyse Kistler.
We enjoyed another enchanting salon on May 31, 2015, hosted by Sterling and Carol Spears. More than forty individuals, both new friends and old joined together to enjoy the poetry of Ernest Hilbert.
New Faces…Welcome Ann Mascherino
During this year of transition, the Poetry Center has been restructured to better serve the poetry community and our students. Please welcome Ann Mascherino, who was appointed in March 2015 as the College of Arts & Sciences Outreach Business Manager. Ann has 19 years experience at WCU serving the PA Writing and Literature Project. She brings a wealth of experience with budgeting and event planning to the Poetry Center. In addition, part of Ann’s work with the PA Writing Project has been to support teachers in the teaching of poetry in schools. We are excited to tap into the many talents that Ann is bringing to us. Many thanks to Ann for her expertise and assistance as we retool and embark on the next chapter in our poetic book.
We hope to soon appoint an Artistic Director of the 2016 WCU Poetry Conference. More information about this will be forthcoming in our next communication.
Many thanks…
In parting, we offer our heartfelt appreciation to Ellie Byrom Haley who is completing her term of service on our Poetry Center Advisory Board. Ellie has brought to us both her enthusiasm for poetry and her expertise in communications. We are grateful that she is close by and able to continue to contribute to our activities. In fact, we expect that Ellie will be hosting our Fall Poetry Salon. More information on the Fall Salon will follow. Hope to see you there! If you are interested in being involved in our next Salon, please contact Ann Mascherino at
amascherino@wcupa.edu.