Line and Verse
Lander College for Women Celebrates National Poetry Month
Flowers weren’t the only things blooming around the Lander College for Women campus this April – students were spouting beautiful lines of verse in honor of National Poetry Month. The celebration, which included the recital of Shakespearean sonnets in nearby Central Park, concluded with a Poetry Favorites Reading organized and led by English major and LCW student, Layah Schreiber.
The event, which Layah described as her “passion project,” was attended by both students and professors. Participants shared their favorite poems, either original or written by someone whose work they appreciated.
Dr. Zarnowiecki recited Anne Carson’s “Outwardly His Life Ran Smoothly,” while Dr. Popkin gave a rousing rendition of “I Shall Marry the Very Next Man Who Asks Me,” a long-buried song from the musical Fiorello!
Students got into the spirit with the likes of Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Ogden Nash. One eager reader pulled a folded note out of her wallet. It contained a copy of Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, “The New Colossus,” given to her by her grandfather. The poem, she explained, which is famously engraved on the lower pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, was one that she always kept close at hand.
The event was a smash. Even before it ended, there was already talk of scheduling another poetry reading event. National Poetry Month may just well become National Poetry Year if the students’ excitement is any indication.
