Eastern to host virtual CT Poetry Circuit reading
Student Colleen Goff among 4 college poets statewide
Willimantic, CT (04/07/2022) — Eastern Connecticut State University will host a virtual poetry reading on April 13 at 7 p.m. for the 2021-22 Connecticut Poetry Circuit. The reading features the four college poets from institutions across Connecticut who were selected by a panel of judges to tour this year's circuit.
To attend the reading on WebEx, visit: https://meet180.webex.com/meet180/j.php?MTID=m218eb405ddbfec76c2c52a4593f5d6d9 . Click "Join as Guest."
Among the poets is Eastern student Colleen Goff, a senior English major from Waterbury. The other poets include Vaughn Goehring of Yale University; Brian Omondi of Quinnipiac University; and Michelle Rochniak of Western Connecticut State University.
Goff was nominated by English Professor Daniel Donaghy, who submitted Goff's poem "Sagging Pants Isn't the Issue" to the panel. "(The poem) is essentially a response to the stereotype that sagging pants invites danger to the individual or serves as a marker for 'criminal,'" explained Goff of her "anti-racist" poem.
"I am honored to be selected as a poet by the Connecticut Poetry Circuit," said Goff. "This will be my first time touring and preforming at different universities, so this opportunity is incredibly significant for my growth as a poet.
"I look forward to sharing my anti-racist pieces so I can continue using my voice to call on other White people to work toward anti-racism. My poetry goes beyond anti-racist work, and I often write about my upbringing in an inner city - Waterbury - my estranged and incarcerated father, mental health, education, womanhood and more."
The Connecticut Poetry Circuit was established in 1968 to continue the work of the New England Poetry Circuit, which was founded in 1964 by the Academy of American Poets and Holly Stevens, daughter of the acclaimed poet and Hartford insurance executive Wallace Stevens. This year's judges were Randall Horton, Clare Rossini, Kate Rushin, Vivian Shipley and John Stanizzi.
For more information on the Connecticut Poetry Circuit: https://www.manchestercc.edu/about/arts-and-culture/connecticut-poetry-circuit/ .
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving more than 4,300 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 163 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 31 states and 10 countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked as the #1 public regional university in New England by U.S. News & World Report in its 2020, 2021 and 2022 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 12 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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