Reading Series 2024/25
Reading Series 2024/25 - Events & Programs
Wick Weekly: Every Friday at 1pm | Wick Poetry Center (126 S Lincoln Street)
Every Friday*, 1:00 pm | Wick Poetry Center (126 S Lincoln Street)
Join the Wick Poetry Center student workers and interns for a free workshop each week. Wick Weekly invites 91ֿ students and community members to engage in informal writing prompts and activities. No prior writing experience is required.
*Wick Weekly follows 91ֿ's Academic Calendar, and will not occur on days when the University is closed or classes are on break.
Light Enters the Grove Book Launch
Tuesday, August 20, 6:30 pm | Happy Days Lodge, CVNP
Celebrate the publication of Light Enters the Grove: Exploring Cuyahoga Valley National Park through Poetry. Hear some of the contributors share their poems, each of which reflects its author’s unique connection to a living organism found within the park—ranging from white-tailed deer to brown bats and from Japanese honeysuckle to bloodroot. Additionally, each poem is paired with an artistic depiction of the poem’s subject that reinforces the rich relationship between artists and the natural world.
Wick Poetry Center 40th Anniversary
Thursday-Saturday, September 19-21 | various locations in Kent
In honor of the Wick Poetry Center’s 40th anniversary, we invite you to join us for a celebration at 91ֿ. Over two days and three nights of festivities, our keynote speakers, Padraig Ó Tuama, Naomi Shihab Nye, Jane Hirshfield, and Adrian Matejka will give readings and host engaging panels.
Each day Wick Poetry Center staff will guide attendees through generative writing workshops and immersive tours of interactive exhibits centered around the themes of Poetry & Healing, Science, Peace, and Social Justice. As we celebrate four decades of creativity and community, we are also delighted to feature poet and founding director Maggie Anderson, along with our accomplished Wick prize-winning authors.
Creative Writing Open House
Friday, September 27 | Wick Poetry Center, Gaston Prentice House
Join us for our annual Creative Writing Open House, an informal event showcasing creative writing opportunities and organizations. Learn about our literary magazines, events, and upcoming classes. Mingle with fellow students and creative writing faculty, over drinks and snacks!
Poetry Tribute Celebrating the Legacy and 300th Anniversary of Magtymguly Fragi
Wednesday, October 2, 4-6 pm | Ballroom Balcony, 3rd floor, Kent Student Center
Hosted by the Office of Global Education and the Wick Poetry Center, we invite you to honor the legacy of Magtymguly Fragi, the influential Turkmen poet and philosopher. This event will feature a delegation from the Embassy of Turkmenistan, recitations of Fragi’s poetry, presentations, and exhibitions, followed by traditional Turkmen dance, music, and refreshments.
Light Enters the Grove Reading in Cleveland
Sunday, October 6, 1-3 pm | Cleveland Botanical Gardens
All are invited to join this poetry reading featuring 30 contributors who will perform pieces from the anthology.
Celebrating Our Own & Open Mic
Thursday, October 17, 7 pm | Wick Poetry Corner in the University Library, 2nd floor
This event will spotlight the 2024 Wick Poetry Center scholarship winners. Each winner will have the opportunity to share their work. An open mic, in which anyone is welcome to read, will follow. Come celebrate poetry with us by sharing your poems and discovering the new voices around you.
First Annual Ohio Poets Reading Featuring Katie Daley, Bob King and Caryl Pagel
Thursday, November 7, 7:00 pm | Murphy Auditorium, 2nd floor in Rockwell Hall (515 Hilltop Dr, Kent, OH)
The Wick Poetry Center is thrilled to welcome three poets from across the region with exciting new collections. Katie Daley’s debut collection Any Closer to Home was published in 2023. Bob King’s And & And will be released this fall. Caryl Pagel’s fourth collection, Free Clean Fill Dirt, came out in 2022 with the University of Akron Press. Ohio in general, and northeastern Ohio in particular, is home to a vibrant literary scene, join us in welcoming these writers to 91ֿ’s campus.
Giving Voice
Tuesday, April 29, 6:30 pm | Murphy Auditorium, 2nd floor at the KSU Museum (515 Hilltop Dr, Kent, OH)
Giving Voice features local students (grades 3-12) and community members. All material is created in Wick outreach programs, including workshops led by 91ֿ undergraduates enrolled in the service-learning course “Teaching Poetry in the Schools.”
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