Last Thursday, April 23rd, a classroom full of students and faculty got together for what was once a yearly thing called, The Faculty Poetry Reading. Going into a classroom with almost every seat occupied, the turn-out was much bigger than expected. Curated by Professor Stuart Rosenberg, who teaches various English classes and other creative writing courses, him as well as his respective faculty and students were given the ability to come in front of the classroom and speak a piece of poetry.
As the readings had begun, you could really feel the power and energy within the classroom. From the different writings with different subjects many teachers and students had the ability to share their own work and their favorite poems.
These poetry readings are really good for students who are writers and gives them the ability to read their own work in front of people. With all ears open, they was poetry written about lost relationships with a significant other, about nature, and more that really reflected a person’s life. What is great about poetry is that it is just another form of art and expression that people really don’t take advantage of. In this classroom, students are given the ability to really reach out and express themselves through their writings which is the beauty of these poetry readings.
Being that this month is the National Poetry Month, one of the first words Prof. Rosenberg said about the class was that it was a “world of the imagination rather than a classroom.”
The Faculty Poetry Reading first began years ago by three teachers by the names of Bill Clark, Nancy Rayl, and Pat O’Brien. When it first started, the group of teachers would read to the class dressed in black turtlenecks fulfilling the poet-esque aesthetic.
What Professor Rosenberg has been trying to do with these poetry readings is to revive the tradition that this once was. Not only reviving these readings, he is working on obtaining a creative writing certificate to offer more creative writing courses here at Cypress College.
Asking Prof. Rosenberg on how long he’s been invested in poetry he had said, “I always read it, but started writing it in the 80s.”
What’s great about poetry is that there is no structure needed. Anyone can write their feelings and it can display their thoughts and emotions. These poetry readings are essential for students that are inspired writers or are aspiring writers. Anyone can come here and it gives people a place to come and express themselves through their writing.
When asking Prof. Rosenberg why people should come to these readings he said, “so that people can hear poems the way they’re supposed to be, read out loud with a group of people listening.”
It is encouraged that we as students should take place in small things like this on campus because it gives us the ability to express ourselves with our own peers. There will be another Faculty Poetry Reading taking place this Wednesday at 2:45 P.M. in the Humanities Building in Room 123.