Annual Week of Poetry celebrates creativity across campus
By Sarah Daponde
Arts & Features Editor
Framingham State celebrated the annual Week of Poetry with celebrations across campus Oct. 19-23, including a poetry reading by poet Edgar Kunz, a faculty poetry reading, and an open mic hosted by the Onyx Literary Magazine. The English department hosted Kunz in the Heineman Ecumenical Center on Oct. 20. He was introduced by Jennifer De Leon, English professor and longtime friend of his. De Leon described poetry as, “putting together words like different parts that on their own might not mean much … but together in the right places, it becomes a vehicle that can take you anywhere.” Kunz, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and 2026 Guggenheim fellow, has published two books of poetry, “Tap Out” in 2019 and “Fixer” in 2023. He was also awarded fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Hawthornden Foundation, the Maryland State Arts Council, the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, Vanderbilt University, and Stanford University. Kunz began his reading with poems from “Tap Out,” a book the Washington Post described as a “gritty, insightful debut.” “These poems feel like another person wrote them,” said Kunz. He said while “Fixer” is much more reflective of his personality, “Tap Out” was something he felt he needed to write. “I had to write this first book to make sense of where I come from, and what happened to me,” Kunz added. Kunz, a native of Framingham, said this was his first time reading his work in his hometown. He lived next to Route 9, and the memories of his childhood played into his poetry. The titular poem of his book, “Tap Out,” depicted him and his friends wrestling together when they were children. Kunz said they were obsessed with WWE. “We would pretend to be our favorite wrestlers and beat the crap out of each other in the backyard. … Just a classic Massachusetts childhood.” He wrote other poems in “Tap Out,” including “Tester” and “Model,” based on odd jobs he took to make extra money in college. Along with being a poet, he was a taste tester for McCormick spices. “Can you imagine a better job for a poet? Just sitting there, eating, and writing my little poems,” he said. His second book, “Fixer,” turned out much different than he expected due to two drastic changes in his life. Kunz said, “My dad died, and I fell in love. … so the book was likewise interrupted.” The photo on the cover is of his father’s real lighter, which Kunz said felt “really personal and really public.” His poem “Piano” was published in The New Yorker. Kunz said he was inspired to write the deeply personal poem based on a conversation he had on a plane with a piano tuner. He said the piano tuner told him, “‘I love the work, but it’s grueling. The second I step away, it’s already falling back out of tune,’” which he wrote down in his notebook. Years later, during a conversation he had with his mother, he remembered the line and wrote “Piano,” said Kunz. Kunz said he found himself taking on a less-serious tone in his second book. “Really, we’re always different from who we were a month ago, a year ago, 10 years ago. I’ll be a different person, even if I try to write the same poems,” he added. Kunz said, “There are always more poems, you know what I mean? I really have to convince myself of that every time I finish a poem. I’m devastated … and then the magic is that they just keep coming.” Lisa Eck, chair of the English department, said, “What writers need are other writers. Writers need a community. … So that’s what we’re doing - we’re celebrating the talent of creative writers in our midst.” The faculty poetry reading took place Oct. 21 in the Center for Inclusive Excellence. Five members of the English department shared their work, beginning with Talia Adry, a lecturer at Framingham State. She said most of the poems she chose to read were older, except one she wrote recently. Hannah Baker-Siroty, lecturer at Framingham State, read next. As a finalist in the sonnet section of the Massachusetts Poetry Olimpics, Siroty read aloud a new sonnet she wrote for the contest. She said the contest has made her think more in depth about how her poetry sounds spoken aloud, not just how it looks on paper. Colleen Coyne, English professor, presented next some poems she said were “new and slightly unfinished.” She said she did extensive research into how medical conditions were written about in the 1800s and earlier, and incorporated the language and ideas into her poetry. Next, Rachel Trousdale, another English professor, read her poetry, which she said mostly revolved around themes of hope, joy, beauty, and politics. One of her poems was structured in the shape of a Bingo card. Another was dedicated to Renée Nicole Good, a poet herself, who was killed by ICE agents in January. Sam Witt, English professor, read his poetry last. One poem he shared incorporated part of a letter his wife, Adry, wrote. The Onyx Literary Magazine will hold their own open mic at Sandella’s on Oct. 23. This reading is dedicated for students to share their poetry and other creative work. Marlín Polanco, a senior English major and social media manager for the Onyx, said she always looks forward to attending these open mic nights, which the English department and the Onyx host at least once a semester. Polanco added, “I love getting to hear other people’s work, connect with other writers, and share some work of my own. I’ve always been a writer, and I think poetry can create this unique connection between people that can be really meaningful and powerful, and this event allows our community to create and explore these bonds.”
