Waverly Hart
Managing Editor
Abigail McFarren
Contributing Writer
On Wednesday, Feb. 27, two prominent poets, Erika Meitner and Dave Lucas, will be speaking at The College of Wooster. The event, hosted by the English department, includes two separate opportunities to hear the authors: a poetry craft lecture at 3:30 p.m. in Kauke 142 and a poetry reading at 7:00 p.m. in Williams 045.
A local celebrity, Dave Lucas was born and raised in Cleveland, and appointed the Poet Laureate of Ohio in 2018. He is very involved in Ohio literary culture, and created Brews + Prose, the monthly readings that bring renowned American authors to Cleveland to read from their work at the Market Garden Brewery. Additionally, as part of his duties for Poet Laureate, Lucas writes a monthly “Poetry for People Who Hate Poetry” column syndicated in newspapers and media outlets across Ohio.
On Wednesday, Lucas will read from his debut 2011 collection of poetry, “Weather,” which explores Cleveland terrain, industries and communities.
Erika Meitner is the author of five books of poetry, including her most recent collection, “Holy Moly Carry Me,” which received the 2018 National Jewish Book Award and was short-listed for the National Books Critic Circle Award. Instead of focusing on Northeast Ohio, as Lucas does, Meitner’s poems transport readers into the heart of southern Appalachia. Meitner’s poems showcase Appalachia’s highways, strip malls, gun culture, fragility and danger. Throughout the poems, the speaker wrestles with what it means to be the only Jewish family in an Evangelical neighborhood and the anxieties of raising one white son and one black son amidst racial tensions and school lockdown drills.
During the poetry craft lecture at 3:30 p.m., Meitner and Lucas will discuss their creative processes, inspiration for their works and personal writing habits. The craft lectures provides a valuable opportunity for any aspiring writers and anyone who is curious about the intimate process writers go through when creating their work.
During the 7:00 p.m. poetry reading in Williams 045, students will have the opportunity to hear these acclaimed authors read from various collections and published works. Additionally, at the end of the reading there will be time for students to pose questions to Meitner and Lucas, as well as ask them to sign books.
“Both Lucas and Meitner are at the forefront of contemporary poetry as they write about history, race, religion, gun violence and environmental decline, as well as deeply intimate experiences of loss and parenthood,” said Robin Beth Schaer, an English professor at the College and one of the key organizers of the reading. “Both poets write poems firmly rooted in the troubled and unpoetic landscapes that are familiar to many of us here in Wooster: Cleveland, Detroit, Appalachia, yet they explore these places with honesty and remarkable lucidity.”
Both the craft lecture and the poetry reading are free and open to all students, and students across all disciplines are encouraged to come hear the authors speak on subjects important and pertinent to the Wooster community. The reading provides a great opportunity for Wooster students to hear critically-acclaimed local authors read original poetry centered around a climate that’s familiar to them. The poetry reading will also feature scones and tea.