11th Annual College Poetry Competition Finalists’ Reading
Sunday, April 8, 2018 Worcester Public Library, Banx Room
Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 College Poetry Contest Reading
Runner-up Manuscript Prize
Jessica Hoops
Winner Manuscript Prize and Performance Prize
Jess Locke
Rachel Del Río, of Anna Maria College and Chelsea, MA
Isabella Camasura, of Assumption College and Bristol, CT
Alexandra Larkin, of College of the Holy Cross and Riverside, CT
Jessica Hoops, of Clark University and East Hampton, CT
Mia Pare, of Fitchburg State University and Leominster, MA
Jess Locke, of WPI and Georgetown, MA
Judges
Rushelle Frazier
Heather Macpherson
Contest Chair
Craig Blais
Anna Maria College
Student Bios
Rachel Del Río is a first-generation college student ready to make an example for her siblings and the people growing up in the same city as her. No matter where you come from or what you have been through, there is always a way. She is proud to say she comes from Chelsea, MA.
Born in Orange, CA and raised in Bristol, CT, Isabella Camasura (endearingly Izzy) is the wandering mind that Sir Isaac Newton would have made a spectacle: her thoughts remain in motion unless compelled by an outside force. Like her upbringing, Izzy likes her poetry to explore “coast-to-coast” topics that leave no stone unturned: mental health, science, and social justice to name a few. She enjoys living and loving life flexibly, and writing about what she witnesses even more so.
Jess Hoops is a senior English and Philosophy major, hailing from East Hampton, CT. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Clark Writes blog, President of Clark’s English Honor Society, a writing consultant at Clark’s Writing Center, and an editorial consultant for a literary agency in New York City.
Alexandra Larkin is a senior at College of the Holy Cross from Riverside, Connecticut. She is an English major and Religious Studies minor and enjoys skiing, rock climbing, and reading fantasy novels.
Mia Pare is a graduating English major at Fitchburg State University. Originally from Leominster, MA, Mia hopes to teach English overseas while continuing to write poetry recreationally.
Jess Locke is a junior studying Environmental Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Their writing tends to focus on topics of social justice, feminism, LGBTQ+ experiences, mental health, and terrible puns. You will most often find Jess perusing the aisles of Walmart at 10PM or filling their time with an excessive number of activities to avoid thinking about The Void™.
Judges Bios
Rushelle Frazier is a spoken word and visual artist based in Worcester, MA. She has been involved with poetry since 2001, hosting poetry readings, workshops, and other cultural events throughout the East coast. Rushelle is a member of the 2002 and 2015 Worcester Adult Slam Team. She has been published most recently in Radius Magazine and Nailed Magazine. Frazier is a past president of the Worcester County Poetry Association and a poetry editor for The Worcester Review. Her latest chapbook, Breakup Sauce, was published by Doublebunny Press.
Heather J. Macpherson writes poetry and essay. Her work has appeared in Blueline, Spillway, The Broken Plate, Gravel, Niche, and other fine places. She has work forthcoming in The Bennington Review and Muriel Rukeyser: A Living Archive. Heather is a PhD candidate in Literature at the University of Rhode Island.
Contest Chair’s Bio
Craig Blais is the author of About Crows (University of Wisconsin Press, 2013), winner of the Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry, and the Florida Book Award. His poems have appeared in Best New Poets, Denver Quarterly, Hotel Amerika, The Southern Review, Western Humanities Review, Yale Review, and elsewhere. Craig’s work has been finalist for the Walt Whitman Award and the National Poetry Series. He earned his MFA from Wichita State University and PhD from Florida State University, and he is Assistant Professor of English at Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts.