On November 6, twenty Southern Lehigh students attended DeSales University’s annual poetry festival. Two Southern Lehigh students, junior Alex McCue and freshman Cameron McColgan, received honorable mentions. English teachers Mrs. Sheryl Ciotti and Mrs. Kelly Howsare accompanied the students.

While the poems were submitted in October, the winners were announced the week of the festival. At the festival, they were asked to recite their poems in front of the attendants.

“When I received the honorable mention, I was surprised!”  McCue said. “I wasn’t even expecting to win; I thought my piece was okay. I wasn’t even sure about entering, but the fact that I won was great.”

McColgan’s poem, titled “Simple Pleasure,” was the shortest poem to be honorably mentioned in DeSales history, consisting of only two words, “Up. Around.”

“[My piece is] asking for you to look around at everything you have and appreciate it, and to take pleasure in life,” McColgan said.

The annual poetry festival is run by Dr. Stephen Myers, festival director, professor of English, and chair of the Humanities department. The grand prize given to the winner of the poetry competition is a four-year scholarship to DeSales University.

The day began with a welcome breakfast, followed by the recipients receiving their awards. After being commended, they were asked to recite their poems to the audience. About 225 people attended.

This year, Daniel Donaghy, a successfully published poet and novelist, gave a presentation.

Students also had the opportunity to perform in an open mic session and listen to other students recite their poems.

“Students have the opportunity to hear poetry presented in a variety of mediums,” Mrs. Ciotti said. “Our students become empowered in this environment. Suddenly, students who are normally reserved are excited to share their poetry with strangers. The open mic session is emotionally charging and infectious.”

Mrs. Ciotti and Mrs. Howsare are very proud of the students that came out to participate in this event.

“The poetry festival allowed students to see the value in writing poetry,” Mrs. Howsare said. “They had the opportunity to listen to a published poet and receive advice on how to create a well-written poem.”

The day also consists of writing workshops where students are divided into small groups and work individually with a successfully published poet. While hearing published poets speak, students learn how to strengthen their own writing skills.

“[My advice is] if you want to get into poetry, always stick with writing something that has a message and distinctive feeling towards you,” sophomore Melissa Stough said. “Be true to what you think, don’t get into something only because someone else would think it sounds pretty.”