Students in Poetry Course Host Reading for Published Poets

Students from Dr. Mary Ann Miller’s Introduction to Poetry course hosted a joint poetry reading by published poets Jessica G. de Koninck and Laura Freedgood at the Caldwell Public Library on Nov. 18. The opportunity arose as part of a “service-learning” option that allows students to fulfill a percentage of the course requirements through first-hand experience working with local published poets.

Nesreen Khalaifeh, Amanda Perez and Jessica Westwood planned and publicized the event for de Koninck, where she read poems from her chapbook, Repairs, and poems from her next collection that is still in progress. Another group of students, Marissa Chambers, Calistus Christian, Jackie Crankshaw and Jaleesa Loving, worked with Freedgood, who read from her second chapbook, Slant of the Heart, which launched at this event.

All of the students met with their respective poets for two 2-hour planning sessions prior to the event. At the reading, the students introduced the poet, asked questions, helped sell the poets’ collections and provided refreshments. Dr. Miller offers the service-learning option as a way to help students understand the value of poetry in the contemporary world and to encourage them to volunteer in the arts.