The Celebrating Our Own poetry reading, sponsored by the Wick Poetry Center, honored the winners of the Wick Undergraduate Poetry Competition Tuesday in the Kiva.

The open-to-the-public, free readings started at 7:30 p.m. and were followed by refreshments and autograph signings from the poets. Six students had the privilege of reading their poems: three incoming Kent State freshman, and three undergraduates.

Ashley Spangler, freshman art education major, won first place in the high school category and said her mom inspired her to enter the competition.

“I didn’t think I could write poetry, and I was afraid no one would like it,” Spangler said. “My mom said, ‘what do you have to lose?’’

Freshman art education major Taylor Jacobs and freshman exploratory major Kaley Utz also won the high school category.

Senior English major Thomas Freeman won first place for the undergraduate category. Leanna Lostoski, Journalism and Mass Communication, graduate student, came in second place, and senior English major Mark Zurlo came in third place.

Angela Golinsky, junior advertising major, said that she attended the event with a friend but didn’t know much about the Wick Poetry Center before attending. Golinsky said all of the readers did a really great job.

“I think it’s great that they give scholarship money to students,” Golinsky said.

The Wick Poetry Center Undergraduate Competition is an annual competition. First place winners receive $2,000 in scholarships, second place winners receive $1,500 and third place winners receive $1,000.

More information on the Wick Poetry Center, and upcoming events can be found at www.kent.edu/wick.

Contact Danielle Hess at [email protected].