Bridgewater, Va.- On March 9, 2024, the English department hosted the Poets Enclave from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the Philomathean from 8:00 p.m. to 9 p.m. These events were put on so that students and the community could share their work with one another. There was an open mic and four guest authors and poets that came to the event to help students improve their writings.
Sophomore Gabe Miller talked about the events and said, “My favorite part of the events were the open mics because they allowed talented BC students to showcase their poetry, prose and art to their peers and also a wider audience.”
The Poets Enclave was put on by Dr. Stanley Galloway, who is a part of the Department of English here at Bridgewater College, and his English 324: Writing Poetry class. The event’s purpose was to reach out to the community on campus as well in the area around campus to interest people in expressing their artistic ability through poetry and other art. Throughout the day there were 30 attendees.
At the Poets Enclave, four guest poets came to give workshops to students, faculty and others. The guests were Gerry LaFemina (Frostburg State University, MD), Sarah Kain Gutowsky (Suffolk Community College, NY), Lesley Wheeler (Washington and Lee University, VA) and Nicole Yurcaba (Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, WV). Each guest also got to present their own work in a discussion panel.
Dr. Galloway talked about the Poets Enclave and said, “Over the course of the day, approximately 30 people attended. The Poets Enclave was designed to reach out to the larger community on and off campus with an interest in not only poetry but artistic expression in general. It was staffed by students in ENG 324: Writing Poetry. The event gave them face-to-face experience with poets and their practices.”
The Philomathean is a student-run literature and arts journal on campus. The organization publishes student artwork, poetry and writing every year digitally. This year Dr. Sam Hamilton, who is a part of the Department of English here at Bridgewater College, helped the club put on an open mic night. Students from last year and this year submitted work to be put on display at the event. About 10 people read their work at the event, including, Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Galloway, and Dr. Rouillon, who is a part of the Department of English at Bridgewater.
Dr. Hamilton commented on the events and said, “The Poets Enclave event was to provide students with an opportunity to meet and interact with poets as real people who grapple with the challenges of rendering ideas as beautiful verse, rather than limiting our interactions with poets to reading and thinking about the final, polished product.”
Dr. Galloway and Dr. Hamilton look forward to hosting similar events in the future, so that more students, facilities, and the community members will come together and share their work.
