MWCC's Weekly e-newsletter

Friday, April 29, 2005

MWCC HOSTS PANEL DISCUSSION AND POETRY READING
FOR NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

By Kimberly B. Caisse

The process of writing poetry and completing poems varies for individuals, four poets told an audience of about 30 MWCC students, faculty and staff in Wednesday, April 27. No matter what, it takes dedication, constant fine-tuning and patience to write poetry and get it published.

	President Daniel M. Asquino welcomes the panel of poets and audience members to the discussion of writing and publishing poetry.

“Forums like these are so important to MWCC and what we do here,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino in his welcoming remarks.

“If I have a wonderful idea in my head, the poem comes out terrible,” said Jess Mynes, a published poet and MWCC’s cataloging and reference librarian. He says his best poems are “ones that evolve” and “can go out in the world” on their own. Mynes read his poem entitled “in West Virginia, in 1938” to the audience.

“I spend an enormous amount of time thinking I have nothing to write about,” then it happens, said Debra Kang Dean, a published poet who lives in West Peterborough, N.H. “I’ve found myself writing about things I never thought I would.” She read “Hermit Crab,” a poem she wrote about “a divided self.”

Saúl Torres, MWCC’s counselor for students with disabilities, told the group, “Writing for me is an ongoing process.” He writes a few lines at a time, leaves them for a couple of days and goes back to them. “Sometimes those lines have life, sometimes not,” he said.

Torres spoke of the role his service as a combat medic in Vietnam played in his development as a poet. “It was my experience in the U.S. Army that pushed me from a high-school idealist writer to writing to save my life,” he said. It took 30 years for him to turn lines of poetry he sent home to his mother into a book of poetry: “And I Cry Again—Passages From Vietnam and Beyond.” He read “My Book” from that collection.

bg Thurston, who teaches poetry and hosts a poetry reading series at Borders Books in Framingham in addition to being a published poet, explained, “The best way for me to begin a poem is to observe what happens on a daily basis.” She read “For Mary Lou,” a poem about a girl treated for mental illness with acid doses. She also encouraged the poetry lovers in the audience to support poets. “If you love a poet’s work, buy their book,” she said.

The panelist advised aspiring poets to submit their work to magazine, chat book or book publishers who tend to publish similar poetry and to embrace the idea that they must market themselves to be published and sell what is published.

“Try reading at open-mikes,” Thurston said. “You’ll connect with people in the audience.”

The panel discussion was part of the college’s observance of National Poetry Month and hosted by the MWCC Library and Lifelong Institute for Enrichment. Wednesday night, in the library, they hosted an Evening of Poetry/Poetry Slam that featured readings by area poets, students and members of the community.

The events were sponsored in part by Athol Saving Bank and the library, and the evening poetry readings were recorded by Gardner cable access channel WGET.

OVER 400 PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS VISIT MWCC FOR ANNUAL SPRING FLING

	A student etches a glass at one of the novelty tables during Spring Fling.

MWCC saw 450 prospective students and their families as well as another 500 current students participate in the college’s annual Spring Fling activities Monday, April 25.

In the morning, the accepted students and their families were welcomed by President Daniel M. Asquino, interim Vice President of Academic Affairs Pete Trainor, Director of Financial Aid JoEllen Soucier and new Student Government Association member Kevin Burns. They also toured the Gardner campus.

Later, prospective students mingled with current students at the lunchtime barbecue, a concert by singer and guitarist John Rush and all the activity and vendor tables set up around the college.

Upcoming Campus Events:

• To help students prepare for final exams, the MWCC Library will hold extended hours on Friday, April 29 until 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call the Library at (978) 630-9125.

	Faculty and staff bought plants at The Green Society’s semi-annual plant sale in the campus greenhouse Friday, April 29.

• Community Builders, a partnership between the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and MWCC to promote volunteerism by inspiring, informing and educating the community, will present a one-day forum, “Creating Change: Community Leadership Matters,” on Thursday, May 5 at the Four Points by Sheraton, Leominster, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. William Drayton, chairman and CEO of Ashoka, a global association of social entrepreneurs, will be the keynote speaker. Workshops will be held throughout the day. To learn more, contact MWCC’s Director of Civic Engagement and Outreach Amy Casavina Hall at acasavina@mwcc.mass.edu or the United Way at (978) 342-1577.

• Theatre at the Mount will present “Leader of the Pack” Friday, May 6, Saturday, May 7, Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for evening performances and $15 for matinees. Tickets for MWCC students are $10. To purchase tickets, call the Theatre at the Mount Box Office at (978) 632-2403 or purchase tickets online at http://theatre.mwcc.edu. Charming, cheerful and chock full of fun, this rock and roll musical will have you bopping in the aisles.

• MWCC’s LIFE program will host “Bridal Fashions, 1840 to the Present” Saturday, May 7 at the Colonial Hotel, Betty Spring Road, Gardner at noon. Tickets are $20 for the luncheon and show and on sale at MWCC’s Lifelong Learning Office, room 163 or by contacting LIFE Program Coordinator (978) 630-9176. This unique fashion show will feature the evolution of the bridal gown from the first time a special dress was used for the wedding day, 1840, to today’s styles. Alexandria Stevens has owned and operated a bridal shop and has collected bridal gowns for years. She will share her expertise while giving historical facts about this most special of all dresses.

• MWCC will host “Mind/Body Connections: The Next Medical Frontier” Thursday, May 12 from noon to 6 p.m. A variety of complementary health care practitioners will be on hand to share their knowledge and practices. Attendees can choose from 11 different 45-minute breakout sessions on a specific complementary health practice or modality. Dr. Herbert Benson, author, president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, will be the keynote speaker in the MWCC auditorium at 3 p.m. Benson will discuss “Counteracting the Harmful Effects of Stress.” Tickets for Benson’s presentation are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. MWCC students will be admitted at no charge. To buy tickets, contact Margaret Jalliet at (978) 630-9292.

• MWCC's annual Evening of Excellence will be held on Thursday, May 12 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Four Points by Sheraton in Leominster. Students will be honored with merit and scholarship awards during this special ceremony. For more information, contact Jackie Suhoski at (978) 630-9142.

• Members of MWCC’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa will hold the second annual Project Graduation, a food drive for the Gardner Community Action Council, on Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fitness & Wellness Center (front and back entrances). Last year, students collected over 600 non-perishable food items. This year’s goal is 1,000-plus. For more information, contact Professor Sheila Murphy at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley will serve as commencement speaker at the college’s 40th Commencement, Thursday, May 19 at 6 p.m. WBUR’s Bob Oakes will be recognized as MWCC alumnus of the year and a series of Service Above Self Honorees will be recognized.

• Phi Theta Kappa is also taking orders for an upcoming graduation DVD. Orders can be placed for $12 until Thursday, May 18. The DVD will be $15 if ordered on or after Commencement, Thursday, May 19. The price includes shipping and handling. If interested, please contact Professor Sheila Murphy at smurphy@mwcc.mass.edu. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Gardner Community Action Council.

• Over 1,000 parents and children are expected to attend the second annual Kid Expo sponsored by the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety at MWCC Saturday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will feature a variety of hands-on health and safety activities including free distribution of Molly Bish child safety I.D. kits. For more information, contact Adam Ewert at aewert@mwcc.mass.edu.

• Time slots for members of the MWCC Pacers to walk the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 are going fast. Contact Sue Goldstein, JoAnn Brooks and Jan LeClair to get your relay packet and sign up to fill the last remaining spots. The 2004 Relay raised $758,000, the highest amount of the other 156 relays in New England. The Gardner Relay has raised over $5 million dollars since its inception 11 years ago. This year’s goal is to raise 800,000. Other benchmarks reached at the 2004 Relay include having 733 survivors walk the track, a number unheard of at any of the other relays, and being ranked No. 11 nationwide in funds raised (out of 4,200 relays).

Lea Ann Erickson
Director of Community Relations
Mount Wachusett Community College
Phone: (978) 630-9322
Fax: (978) 630-9561
cell: (508) 517-5202
l_erickson@mwcc.mass.edu

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