Wick Poetry Center to host Ohio poets

The Wick Poetry Center is hosting a reading for Mindi Kirchner and Liz Tilton, the winners of the 2008 Wick Chapbook Competition, at 7:30 tonight in the Student Center.

“We want to bring people to our readings to listen to emerging writers,” said Nicole Robinson, program and outreach coordinator for the WPC.

The annual competition is broken into two parts, one solely for students and the other open to anyone living or going to school in Ohio. Robinson said it is a good idea for students to come and hear the previous winners if they are interested in entering the competition.

Students can also use poetry as a way to relax, said Alyssa Davis, senior English major. Davis will be interning for the WPC in the fall.

“I think that (poetry) can teach you so much about life and how people view it,” Davis said. “Just hearing the way people think is really interesting, and I feel like you always find something in common with them.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge for students, sophomore English major Casey Nichols said, is realizing these poets are normal, modern people with poetry that is relatable to everyone.

“I think people, students for the most part, are afraid of poetry,” Nichols said. “In high school, they’re told, well, this is what it’s supposed to mean and if they don’t see it, then they get frustrated.”

Instead of getting frustrated, students can learn from what they hear. Davis said one of her professors taught if you want to become a better writer, you have to read and you have to listen to other people.

“The Wick Poetry Center, through our outreach, our Stan and Tom Wick prize and also our Chapbook series, encourages new voices,” Robinson said. “With that, we also encourage people to come and hear those new voices.”

Contact arts and sciences reporter Jennifer Shore at [email protected].