This week on Claremont Characters, Ila Assegaf PO ’28 spotlights Zoe Dorado PO ’27. An English and politics major, her interests include the teen writing industrial complex, the indie man epidemic and bell hooks eating Greek yogurt.
Tag: Poetry
Stuck in the margins: “He Will Sink”
Zena Almeida-Warwin PO ’28 reflects on a tumultuous summer, where poetry and journaling helped her escape –– partially –– from the clutches of overthinking and melancholy. Over the course of the summer, Almeida-Warwin harbored feelings for someone emotionally unavailable, in a foreign city which they shared only for a brief time. Consequently, in an effort to move on, she forbade herself from even imagining him.
Keith LaMar performs poetry from death row at Freedom First concert
On April 17 and 18, the 5C Prison Abolition Collective hosted an abolitionist poetry reading and concert featuring the work of Keith LaMar, an incarcerated man on death row who called in to the concert to perform his spoken-word poetry.
Mai Der Vang on the endangered saola and humankind’s relationship with nature
On March 26, Vang came to Pitzer’s Broad Performance Center to read from her newest collection of poetry. Her writing uses the saola, an endangered animal endemic to the Annamite Range between Laos and Vietnam, to explore the complex relationships between humans and nature.
Poet Quan Barry on visualizing history through art
Poet, novelist and playwright Quan Barry spoke at the Benton Museum on March 25, reciting several poems and excerpts from her novels. Barry’s work uses the backdrop of history to contemplate what it means to be a human.
Gazan poet Yahya Ashour at Pitzer
At Pitzer’s Benson auditorium on Nov. 18, Gazan poet and incoming visiting English and World Literature professor Yahya Ashour read excerpts of his collection “A Gaza of Siege and Genocide.”
U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón discusses the importance of grief
On Nov. 2, Ada Limón, the 24th United States Poet Laureate, 2023 MacArthur Fellowship Genius grant awardee and the author of six poetry books, joined the Scripps Presents in Conversation lineup — a series inviting storytellers, artists, policymakers and musicians to share their contributions to leadership and critical thought on important current issues.
Alexis Pauline Gumbs leads an alphabetical activity on joy and dedication
On Thursday, Oct. 19, poet Alexis Pauline Gumbs spoke to a packed Rose Hills Theater at Pomona College on the topic “Remembering Joy,” exploring what it means to hold onto memories of happiness and loved ones. This evening’s topic became that of paying homage to the joy that centers around people and community.
OPINION: It’s okay to like Instapoetry
From BookTok to The New York Times, commentary over InstaPoetry (mostly negative, at that) has surprised Corina Yi PO ’27.
Queer Asian Reads: The whimsy, love and pain in Chen Chen’s poetry
Book columnist Reia Li PO ’24 reflects how Chinese American poet Chen Chen combines humor and empathy to create poems that are joyful as well as painful to read.