End of term readings by poetry students in the School of Creative Writing fell during Canada’s 24th National Poetry Month, an annual event led by the League of Canadian Poets. This year, people were invited to consider the theme of intimacy.
“A poem disrupts the present, heightens my senses, and asks me to pay attention to the world in a different way than I’m used to. It’s this re-tuning of attention that, I think, makes poetry so surprising and vital,” says Lecturer Sheryda Warrener, who teaches poetry to the School’s BFA and MFA students.
Warrener captured a series of photographs depicting her students’ poetic experiences this month. Her efforts included coordinating a broadside exhibit of student poetry produced by the Koerner Library.
“Our efforts this month turned into a lovely record of this collective celebration that’s happening across poetry classes,” says Warrener.
Students in CRWR 501 Poetry Atelier gathered in front of the Belkin Gallery for a graduate reading on April 6. The students sat within the outdoor art installation Fireweed Fields by Holly Schmidt.
CRWR 301 Seminar students shared readings of their own poetry written this term, in front of Ponderosa Commons on April 7.
CRWR 440 Hybrid Forms class in Rare Books and Special Collections, IKBLC, on April 8. The students created experimental poetic forms inspired by their exploration within the archive.
Koerner Library created a display of poetry books based on students’ recommended readings.
Warrener paired with Koerner Library to produce a broadside exhibit in honour of National Poetry Month. Koerner library designed, printed and displayed broadsides of poems written by CRWR 301 Intermediate Writing Poetry students focussed on poetic form and formal innovation. The exhibit is available for viewing until the end of April.
Photo credit: Sheryda Warrener
