Poetry Stacked – beyond the bookshelves
Tasked to enrich and engage the University of Cincinnati campus and community, UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room partnered to create Poetry Stacked, a interdisciplinary reading series staged in the 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library and curated with 21st-century values. Poetry Stacked brings faculty, staff, student and community poets together in-person and live streamed.
After only a year and a half of programming, Poetry Stacked has enjoyed many successes, addressed challenges and expanded past just the poetry readings with exciting plans for the future. Poetry Stacked coordinators Melissa Cox Norris, director of library communications, Ben Kline, assistant department head of research, teaching and services, and Michael Peterson, curator of the George Elliston Poetry Room, were joined by poet and UC graduate student Dior Stephens on a panel presentation at the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Kansas City February 7-10, 2024, where they discussed the origin of the series, its curation, how they found collaborators, their approach to staging and planning each event, as well as lessons learned and adjustments made with an eye to the future. They also shared plans for further collaborations and possibly taking Poetry Stacked on tour.
As moderator, Melissa welcomed attendees to the panel and gave a brief overview of Poetry Stacked and its mission to celebrate poetry and raise awareness of the collections of both UC Libraries and the Elliston Poetry Room. Each reading engages audiences via exposure to contemporary poetry and increases appreciation for both the talents of UC and the community poets, as well as for poetry itself.
Ben discussed the origin of Poetry Stacked and how it aligns with NEXT Lives Here by delving into curation and tone. He highlighted some of the big ideas for what a reading series with support could be – new campus relationships, new collaborations and new approaches to existing projects – and talked about “why poetry” for a series aimed at bringing users and stakeholders together in the library again.
Michael spoke firstly to how a library strategic framework and a departmental strategic framework (in this case, the Department of English) might align in a collaborative partnership that draws from student, staff, faculty and community populations. Secondly, he addressed how special collections and archives might come to see their role in community initiatives as one of a broader, more participatory archival practice.
Dior, representing both student poet participants and being a regular member of the Poetry Stacked audience, shed light on how Poetry Stacked impacts the academic side and the community. He discussed his experience as one of the inaugural poets and how Poetry Stacked compares, favorably, to other readings he has participated in.
Beyond the panel presentation, Ben, Michael, Dior and Melissa networked and shared about Poetry Stacked at other convention events they participated in, including at the Book Fair and off-site readings.
As a result of AWP, a local poet has signed up as a volunteer and several poets, including a UC alumnus, have expressed desire to participate or collaborate in future Poetry Stacked events and projects. After returning to Cincinnati, Ben, Michael and Melissa met with representatives from Seattle University who are interested in producing a form of Poetry Stacked at their university. Ben, Michael and Melissa see this as a next step for the program, expanding the idea of community, both for libraries and poets, and promoting the collections and talents of the University of Cincinnati.
And don’t miss…
- The next Poetry Stacked: Wednesday, March 6 at 4:30pm, 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library. Three poets will read their original work: UC professor emeritus John Drury, community poet Sara Moore Wagner and UC student poet Kristyn Garza. They will be joined by CCM students who will perform original interpretive dance of their poetry: Anna Gracie Zamiska, Bryn Cintrón and Katherine Kraal.
- Talkback Ekphrastic, a two-part discussion and workshop about art, poetry, inspiration and process on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30pm in the Elliston Poetry Room, 646 Walter C. Langsam Library. Kyle Angel, adjunct instructor in DAAP, and Alecia Beymer, poet and assistant professor/educator in UC’s Department of English, will discuss the original artwork created at the November Poetry Stacked and lead attendees in an ekphrastic poetry exercise.
- The final Poetry Stacked: Wednesday, April 10, 4pm, 6th floor east stacks of the Walter C. Langsam Library, and featuring UC student poets. More information to follow.
