berks county's manufacturing poems travel route i-80 to clarion university.

for several days in the last week of april, i spent time sharing this poetry project with students at clarion university, where i studied english writing as my minor in college, including a focus in poetry. the trip five hours west involved visiting three classes in the english department housed in davis hall and serving as the featured poet for an open mic i used to run in my time there for the campus literary and artistic journal, tobeco. the second half of the open mic always involves others stepping up to the microphone to read their poetry or perform, too.

dr. melissa downes' class, english 304: craft of poetry

photography: todd crawford

across three different creative writing classes spanning into two days, students had an interesting variety of questions about the interviewing, writing, and publishing processes, questions which don't always get asked at poetry readings in berks county. so talking about these aspects felt very rewarding and also led me to drink a hell of a lot of tea with plenty of honey in it, plus a good number of trips to make water (à la driving miss daisy) to get the tea on out.

dr. philip terman's class, english 202: beginning creative writing

photography: hannah collings

dr. terman's class, english 404: advanced creative writing

photography: paige mccracken

the tobeco open mic @ michelle's café @ 
611 main street, clarion, pa 16214

photography: therese holzapfel

michelle's café, a must-love spot on the main street, still serves as the location for open mics run by the editors and staff of tobeco, just like in my days there. the owner and staff at the café are wonderful and so supportive with these literary efforts. and the autumn apple toddy, topped with cinnamon, is an absolute must.

 a fellow poet once told me that many people have written poetry about the stars on these curtains below. i was in that number, too, of course.

enthusiasm and gratitude for absorbing more about the project and learning the perspective of an alumni translated beautifully my way through these kind professors, students, and residents in the community of clarion. traveling for a wealth of such warmth is well worth it. a trip for next year and the next phase of the project is potentially in the works, too. thank you again to everyone who became a part of these moments and allowed these opportunities to blossom. hearing so many students reading their poetry of such quality and individuality served as such a heart-plus on my end, too.