Senior reading focuses on the personal experiences of 10 seniors; Literary House award winners announced

By Jessica Kelso

Elm Staff Writer

On Wednesday, April 24, the annual senior reading occurred in the Rose O’Neill Literary House. This event allows seniors, regardless of major, to read their written works.

This year’s event had 10 seniors share poems, journalistic articles, and personal narratives. The works contemplated love, loss, and human connection.

Colleen Pogue began with the poem, “Stay awhile,” first read during their freshman year. They commemorated their time at Washington College, saying that it was “a piece that has gone through as many transformations as I have.”

Following Pogue, Elm Opinion Editor Sophie Foster read “Thomas Theorem,” a piece inspired by the sociologic theory formed in 1928, which is “the idea that if we define situations as real then they are real in their consequences, in other words, the interpretation of a situation causes the action and this interpretation is not objective.”

Sophomore Teddy Nies said that they really enjoyed Foster’s piece.

“Her writing is always really lyrical and musical and dynamic,” Nies said.

Other readers included Elm Copy Editor Vee Sharp with a nonfiction piece on the process of grief, Rae Merson reading “The Garden,” a poem about generational relationships, Elm Editor-in-Chief Liv Barry criticizing social portrayal of queer feminine icons in the music industry, Elm Copy Editor Delaney Runge with two poems from her eco-poetry class, and Joshua Torrence on nurse sharks and wine glasses with poems titled “Post-Breakup Philosophy” and “Night Music.”

Elm News co-editor Grace Apostol also read “about how you get the traits from the women in your family” and an “ode to everything being so full circle.” Dante Chavez read his work “A Conversation Between Me and My Stone Paper Notebook on a Roadside Farm.” The reading ended with a poem by Giancarlo Chelotti.

Associate Professor of English and Director of the Rose O’Neill Literary House Dr. James Hall, said that senior readings are their favorite event because “there’s so much nostalgia and hope together.”

“I feel like after that reading we’re all laid a little bare. The emotions are a little high and I hope you know how proud we are of those of you who read,” Dr. Hall said. “The pride I feel for each of you is just really astounding and it fills me with great emotion so that’s why this reading is sort of my favorite because I feel like a proud grandma.”

Following the readings, Assistant Director of the Rose O’Neill Literary House Amber Taliancich declared the winners of three student writing awards. Both runners-up and winners were announced, all receiving copies of former guest speaker Michael Durmais’ poetry book “Creature.”

Senior Morgan Carlson won the William W. Warner Prize for Creative Writing on Nature and the Environment  with the poem “interpreting birdsong.” Dante Chavez was the runner up, again for his poem “A Conversation Between Me and My Stone Paper Notebook on a Roadside Farm.”

The Literary House Genre Fiction Prize went to Joshua Torrence’s story “Dear Clem,” with runner-up freshman Nora Ciak for “Snow.”

“I genuinely was really surprised to hear my name. Getting runner-up is such a great honor, especially considering how talented our students are,” Ciak said. “I’m friends with such amazing writers that it’s crazy.” The Pfister Poetry Prize was awarded to Caryl Townsend for the poem, “It’s my birthday and I was gifted a life-size plastic skeleton.” This prize had two runners up; sophomore Sherri Swayne for the poem “The Last Sweet,” and Joshua Torrence for the poem “The Furies.”

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