Nearly a half century ago, sparks from a passing train not only set fire to oil-slicked debris on the Cuyahoga River, which sent flames five-stories high, it ignited the river’s reputation as one of the most polluted in the United States. Since then, clean-up efforts have helped return the river to its natural state, and now visitors will have the opportunity to give it a voice, thanks to a grant awarded to the Wick Poetry Center in Kent State University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
A day in the life of a nurse is a dynamic experience. Containing both bright and dark moments, a nurse must sort through an emotional roller-coaster daily. These sensitive moments and memories are tangible elements in Kent State University College of Nursing’s new poem, Some Days, an interdepartmental collaborative project between the college, Kent State University Wick Poetry Center and Kent, OH, design firm, Each + Every.
The Poetry Coalition, of which the Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University is a founding member, will benefit from a $200,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. To be given over two years, the grant, which will be administered by the Academy of American Poets, will enable the founding members of the coalition to produce national programs on themes of social importance that feature leading contemporary poets. It also will strengthen a network of poetry organizations by making possible two annual meetings of the founding members during the grant term.
At the inaugural March for Science, a global demonstration centered in Washington, D.C., a special edition of the Wick Poetry Center's Traveling Stanzas titled Science Stanzas will provide an opportunity for participants to discover the intersection of expressive writing and scientific inquiry.
Join us this Thursday, April 13, at 6:00 pm at the Akron Art Museum for the first public poetry reading by the participants of our Traveling Stanzas: Writing Across Borders project. The project, made possible by a major grant from the John S. and James L.
The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University will expand its successful Traveling Stanzas project with $125,000 in new funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge.
The Knight Arts Challenge funds ideas that engage and enrich Akron through the arts.
Traveling Stanzas: Writing Across Borders is a partnership between the Wick Poetry Center and the Visual Communication Design program at Kent State to facilitate a global conversation through the intimate and inclusive voice of poetry.
This academic year, Kent State Student and slam poet Damien McClendon has been leading performance poetry workshops at the Wick Poetry Center. Participants write, read, watch slam videos, and discuss the craft of performance poetry.
These workshops are free and open to the public—students and members of the community are welcome. Bring a poem to read or just a blank page of paper. No experience is needed!
The next two workshops this semester:
Thursday, March 17 from 2-3:30 and Thursday, April 21 from 2-3:30.
Molly Merryman, Kent State University associate professor of sociology and founding director of the Kent State Women’s Center, has been awarded the university’s 2016 Diversity Trailblazer Award. The annual Diversity Trailblazer Award recognizes diversity pioneers associated with Kent State who have displayed exemplary contributions to the area of diversity in the university.
We are thrilled to be a finalist for the Knight Arts Challenge and to have our Traveling Stanzas project promote the voices of students, immigrants, and refugees in the city of Akron!
