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As a poet and a teacher, The Wick Poetry Center has been a blessing to me in many ways.
As a NEOMFA student, I was gifted a Bisbee poetry fellowship in the summer of 2007 that allowed me not only to study with a favorite poet of mine, Maggie Anderson, but also to travel to Bisbee, Arizona, and stay with Bob Wick and his family in their lovely home. In this capacity, Bob Wick shared his life and art. Each morning I woke to see things I had never seen: ocotillo and big sky, a scorpion scurrying across hot pavement, and Lalo the gardener at work on his own masterpiece. I imagine that never in my life will I again receive such special treatment simply because I am a writer.
As part of a visiting writers series I created as an internship in 2008, I had the pleasure of meeting and working David Hassler. He graciously adopted the high school where I teach into the Wick Outreach Program and for the first time ever, Barberton High School participated in Giving Voice. The students and I designed t-shirts for the event. Picture this: Over thirty students rainbowed across the stage, each wearing a shirt that says, “I wanna speak antibiotic poetry that defeats your life’s viruses.”
Bisbee and Giving Voice are shining examples of how The Wick Poetry Center has touched my art, my soul, and my career. However, my best Wick moment was when David called me last spring to let me know that one of my students, Jennifer Clark, had received 2nd place in the Wick Poetry Scholarship. I had worked with Jennifer for close to two years and many times I had wondered how my intense and passionate teaching of poetry could or would benefit my students. Because of Wick, Jennifer has been awarded for her talent and will be able to continue her love of poetry at Kent State University. I am happy to announce that Jennifer received an honorable mention in this year’s Wick Undergraduate Competition. The blessings keep coming.
I am grateful for the generosity of the Wick family as well as the dedication of the Wick poets and staff.
paintbrushandtrigger.blogspot.com
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