With April being National Poetry Month, the Stadler Center for Poetry has been holding many events to celebrate the art of poetry. National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 to recognize the accomplishments of contemporary and historic poets. Most recently, the Stadler Center has hosted the Annual Student Reading, an open mic poetry slam, and Poem in Your Pocket Day. These events call attention to the importance of poetry not only in society, but also on campus.

The Annual Student Reading was held April 17 to celebrate the incredible poetry and prose pieces written by our very own classmates. The winners of the Cadigan Prize for Younger Writers and the Julia Fonville Smithson Memorial Prizes read their pieces at the event. The winners of the Cadigan Prize for poetry, Abby MacGregor ’16 (first place), Molly Brown ’15 (second place), and Jonathan Moseley ’15 (honorable mention), and the prose winners, Evan Turissini ’16 (first place), Frederick William Schroeder IV ’16 (second place), and Alana Jajko ’15 (honorable mention) read their winning pieces.

The winners of the Julia Fonville Smithson Memorial Prizes were Andrew Marvin ’16 (fiction), Rachel Chou ’16 (Nonfiction), and Molly Brown ’15 (poetry).  To further the celebration, the open mic poetry slam held at Uptown featured the poet Dorothea Lasky. Lasky and student poets read their work in the spirit of National Poetry month.

Poem in Your Pocket Day was held on April 23 on campus. On this day, the entire nation celebrated poetry by choosing one of their favorite poems, carrying it in their pocket, and reading it to others throughout the day. Poem in Your Pocket Day was initiated in New York City in 2002 by the Office of the Mayor and the city’s Departments of Cultural Affairs and Education in observance of National Poetry Month. The University’s celebration of this day included readings of poems on the ELC Uphill Lawn and sharing student-submitted poems around campus. The hard work of the Stadler Center proved to effectively celebrate National Poetry Month and showcase the incredible creative talent that we have on campus.