Melanie
Simms, a senior Creative Writing major, and Jerry Wemple, Professor of English,
will help the central Susquehanna Valley kick off National Poetry Month with a
reading at the Degenstein Community Library in Sunbury on April 2.
Simms, a
Sunbury resident, will read her poem “Sunbury,” which highlights the history of
the town located at the confluence of the North and West branches of the
Susquehanna River. The poem was published in a recent issue of Susquehanna
Life magazine. Simms also read it during an interview on WKOK, a regional
radio station, and at A Taste of the Arts, sponsored by BU's Center for Visual and Performing Arts.
Simms is an
award-winning poet with over 150 poetry publications in magazines, literary
journals, and newspapers. She formerly served as Poet Laureate of Perry County.
Among her awards are a Vermont Studio Writers Scholarship and the Sophie Award
for Poetic Excellence.
Wemple is the
author of two poetry collections and co-edited the poetry anthology Common
Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania (PSU Press). He also edits Watershed:
The Journal of the Susquehanna. A regional native who graduated from Shikellamy
High School in Sunbury, Wemple’s work often focuses on the people and places of
the Susquehanna Valley. Among his awards are The Naomi Long Madgett Poetry
Award, the Word Journal Chapbook Prize, a Fellowship in the Arts from
the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Pushcart Prize nominations for poetry
and creative nonfiction.
No comments:
Post a Comment