10th Annual College Poetry Competition Finalists’ Reading
Sunday, April 2, 2017       Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room

Congratulations to the winners of the 2017 WCPA College Poetry Contest

Student Bios

Maria Gurriere (age 21) is an English major at Anna Maria College. Her deep passion for music, as a clarinetist, guitarist, and vocalist, inspired the poem “The Life of Music.” A lifelong condition called Sound-Color Synesthesia inspired “The Rainbow of Life,” and a lifetime of many chronic illnesses inspired “The Many Pieces of Me.” Maria is from Dudley, Massachusetts.

Rheannon Swire is a senior at Assumption College majoring in Human Services with a double minor in English and Psychology. She has been writing poetry since middle school and since she talks about poetry every chance she gets, the entire Assumption community believes that she is an English major. Rheannon lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

Faith Chesbrough is a Professional Writing major at Fitchburg State University. She grew up in the Leominster-Fitchburg area and still resides there. She has always had a passion for all things art including reading, writing, theatre, and speech giving.

Raised in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, Ryan Kingsley is a senior English major at the College of the Holy Cross, where he is completing an honors thesis, a collection of poems titled “Bird on the Horizon.” In his writing, Ryan explores the relationship between the human and “natural” realms as he seeks to understand the out of sight worlds they share. He loves four sisters, two turtles, a canoe, and a superfluous collection of pens.

My name is Carmellite Chamblin; I am 20 years old and an avid reader of Haruki Murakami. I reside in Malden MA and currently attend MCPHS University, studying premedical and health studies and minoring in women’s studies.

Julie de Oliveira is a first generation born Brazilian-American who grew up living in Worcester, Massachusetts. She has taken Creative Writing and Poetry courses at Quinsigamond Community College. She hopes to pursue a degree in Latino Studies. Her short stories and poetry bring light to silenced voices of Brazilian immigrants and the fairly recent phenomena of the Brazilian diaspora in America and finding their identity within the U.S. Latino community. Her poem “Saudade” appears in 2106 online issue of The Acentos Review.

My name is Morgan DeAngelis. I am a Sophomore studying Environmental Engineering at WPI. I am a San Francisco Bay Area native who loves hiking, art, and working with my residents as an RA. My friends would tell you that I have a lot of love to give for such a small person and that I can often be found hugging trees for fun.

Isaac Church is a Junior studying English at Worcester State University. He is from Java Center, NY, a little town just south of Buffalo. He enjoys reading, writing, and drawing.

Judges Bios

Jenith Charpentier is the author of three chapbooks, Bending the Water Between Us (2011), Bad at Gravity (2013), and 5 Poems by Jenith Charpentier (Damfino Press, 2015). She represented Worcester’s Poets Asylum at the 2012 Individual World Poetry Slam and as a member of the 2013 National Poetry Slam Team. Jenith’s poetry appears in several publications including OVS, Mas Tequila Review, Wicked Banshee Press, The Orange Room Review, Worcester Magazine, Tipton Poetry Journal, and the anthology Knocking at the Door. She is currently one of the organizers of Worcester’s 7 Hills Slam (http://7hillsslam.wordpress.com/). More information about her work can be found at https://www.facebook.com/jenithcharpentierpoet.

Michael Fisher is the author of The Wolf Spider (Plan B Press), Five Poems by Michael Fisher (Damfino Press) and Libretto for the Exhausted World (Spuyten Duvil Press). His poetry has appeared in numerous journals. He holds an MFA in Poetry from New England College and is an MA candidate in English at Clark University. Currently, he works as an adjunct professor and home/hospital tutor. He lives in Barre, MA.

Contest Chair Bio

Jim Cocola is an Associate Professor of Literature, Film, and Media in the Department of Humanities and Arts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and has also served on the faculty of the Language and Thinking Program at Bard College. His essays and poems have appeared in publications including the minnesota review, n+1, Polis, VIA: Voices in Italian Americana, and The Worcester Review.

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

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.

12th Annual College Poetry Competition Finalists’ Reading
Saturday, April 6, 2019    
Worcester Popup, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 College Poetry Contest Reading

Student Bios

Paula Kneeland is a resident of Worcester, MA and an advanced standing graduate student in Anna Maria College’s Masters of Social Work Program. She is President of the MSW Student Forum and student representative of the MSW Social Work Advisory Board. After graduation, Paula would like to pursue a clinical career in forensic social work with a concentration in social justice and substance use. Writing random poetry is part of her self-care routine.

Poetry has long been a source of therapy and healing for Kate Brice. She is currently a senior chemistry major at Assumption College, and has only ever taken two creative writing courses. She is from Colchester, Connecticut, and she plans to pursue writing on the side, however informally that may be.

Dani Black is from Middleboro, Massachusetts. She is currently a sophomore at Clark University and studies Creative Writing, Psychology, Women and Gender studies, and Comparative Race and Ethnic studies.

Amber John is a sophomore English and History major at Holy Cross, a member of The Purple literary magazine, and a pre-law student. She comes all the way from Austin, Texas, and hopes to write professionally.

Ariele Lee was born and raised in Beverly, MA. She is a Communications Major/English Minor at Fitchburg State University. She spends most of her time in the car commuting from school because she decided to go to school that was two hours away!

Jesse Madore was born and raised in Salem, NH and is a lover of writing, reading, and dog petting. Jesse attends Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS University) .

Erica Gilman is finishing up her undergraduate studies in Sociology and English at Worcester State State and heading to Rhode Island for a graduate degree in married and family therapy at the University of Rhode Island. She enjoys cycling through small towns, doing hot yoga, and traveling to different coffee shops.

Michael Clements was born and raised around Exeter, New Hampshire. He is currently seeking a degree in Computer Science and a minor in English. In addition to writing and reading poetry, he enjoys participating in the marching band.

Judge bios

Susan Roney-O’Brien lives in Princeton, MA, works with international students and young writers, curates a monthly poetry venue, and is part of 4 X 4, a group of visual artists and poets. She is the Summer Writing Series Coordinator for The Stanley Kunitz Boyhood Home. Her poetry has been published widely and translated into Braille and Mandarin and been nominated for seven Pushcart Prizes. Publications include two chapbooks: Farmwife, the winner of the William and Kingman Page Poetry Book Award, and Earth published by Cat Rock Press. WordTech published Legacy of the Last World in 2016. Aldrich Press, an imprint of Kelsay Books, published Bone Circle, in December 2018. Kelsay Books will publish Thira, a new collection based on ancient Minoan culture, in March, 2020.

Ashley Wonder has been writing for over ten years. Performing professionally for the past five with dynamic passion to give hope to her audiences. She became apart of the Slam Community in 2014. Repping Worcester her hometown, in Oakland 2015, Decatur, GA 2016. Earned Iron Poet Champion held in Worcester, MA at Ralph’s Diner. Performed 2019 Women Of Consequence City Hall in Worcester. She has featured in Troy, New York at Poetic Vibe, all around MA, Boston (Hard Rock Cafe), RI including many colleges and universities such as Holy Cross, Wheelock among others. She enjoys teaching poetry workshops to youth of all ages to show how fun and interactive Spoken Word can be. She also believes in the power of tea and naps.

Contest Chair 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.

9th Annual College Poetry Competition Finalists’ Reading
Sunday, April 10, 2016      Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room

Congratulations to the Winners

About the Competition

The Worcester County Poetry Association inaugurated the College Poetry Competition in 2008 to encourage and recognize the next generation of poets. The finalists are nominated by faculty and administrators at colleges in Worcester County.

Submissions are judged for the Manuscript Prize and finalists are asked to perform one submitted poem for the Performance Prize.

Students compete for a cash award and a one-year WCPA membership in each category. The winning entry for the Manuscript Prize will be Fall 2015 WCPA literary journal, The Worcester Review.

Finalist Bios

Anna Maria College: Andrew Scott Farrar, Paxton, Massachusetts
Andrew Scott Farrar grew up in Paxton, Massachusetts, and moved away after high school to work and travel. After spending a couple of years in Boston, he moved back to Central Mass to return to his education. Reading and writing have always been definitive hobbies of his, that along with traveling.

Assumption College: Marissa Dakin, Pembroke, Massachusetts
Marissa Dakin is a sophomore at Assumption College originally from Pembroke, Massachusetts. She is a English Literature and Political Science double major with minors in Spanish and philosophy. Her hobbies include dyeing her hair and forgetting every interesting thing about her when people ask what she does for fun.

Clark University: Sarah Wells, Montpelier, VT
As an English Major (with double minors in Physics and Computer Science) writing has always been an important part of my life. I started writing poetry when I was very young and simply never grew tired of it. With my different areas of study I often find myself writing poetry that involves aspects of science as a way to connect all the subjects I love so much!

College of the Holy Cross: Dani Burford, La Crescenta, California
Dani Burford is a senior English major at the College of the Holy Cross, where she is writing a collection of poems entitled Voice Box for her honors thesis. She is a California native whose hometown of La Crescenta
is nestled just outside the city of Los Angeles. Besides using her writing to chronicle her life adventures, Dani also collects rocks from every place she has ever visited.

Fitchburg State University: Roxxanna Kurtz, Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Roxxanna Kurtz is from Fitchburg, Massachusetts where she currently lives with a tall British man and two cats (one’s a bit odd while the other is secretly a dragon). I have been writing since the fourth grade, with well over a thousand pieces to my name. Some of my published works can be found in an edition of the Marble Collection and three volumes of Route 2.

MCPHS University: Allison McFarland, Plainville, Massachusetts
Allie McFarland is in her third year at MCPHS University, majoring in Health Psychology. Originally from Plainville, MA, Allie’s creative interests include poetry, sketch comedy, and playwriting.

WPI: Travis Norris, Austin, Texas
Travis Norris is a sophomore at WPI double majoring in Robotics Engineering and Writing. He is originally from Austin, Texas, but is involved at WPI in improv comedy, the admissions office, and various clubs. Travis views writing as an opportunity to express stories that otherwise wouldn’t be shared.

Worcester State University: Melissa Dognazzi, Worcester, Massachusetts
Melissa Dognazzi is a practicing writer with a focused passion in the arts community. Although she initially wanted to chase the life of a performer, she has discovered her place among literary artists in her work as a poet, grant writer, and arts reviewer.

Contest Judges

A member of Boston’s long-standing Every Other Thursday Poets, Polly Brown has two chapbooks, Blue Heron Stone, and Each Thing Torn From Any of Us. She taught for 25 years at Touchstone Community School in Grafton, and blogs about the daily texture of progressive education at ayeartothinkitover.com. She won the Worcester County Poetry Award about a million years ago. Recent poems have appeared in The Worcester Review, Clade Song, and Soundings East.

Tony Brown is a Worcester based poet who has read at, performed at, and run poetry events all over the US for the last thirty years. A four time Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has been published in many anthologies and journals, he has also had a long-standing association with the national poetry slam community. Currently, he also fronts the poetry and music ensemble The Duende Project, who are in the process of recording their sixth album. A new chapbook, The Embers, will be published by Tired Hearts Press this year.

Contest Chair

Jim Cocola is an Associate Professor of Literature, Film, and Media in the Department of Humanities and Arts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and has also served on the faculty of the Language and Thinking Program at Bard College. His essays and poems have appeared in publications including the minnesota review, n+1, Polis, VIA: Voices in Italian Americana, and The Worcester Review.

8th Annual College Poetry Competition Finalists’ Reading
Saturday, April 11, 2015      Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room

The Worcester County Poetry Association inaugurated the College Poetry Competition in 2008 to encourage and recognize the next generation of poets.  The finalists are nominated by faculty and administrators at colleges in Worcester County.

Submissions are judged for the Manuscript Prize and finalists are asked to perform one submitted poem for the Performance Prize.

Students compete for a cash award and a one-year WCPA membership in each category. The winning entry for the Manuscript Prize will be Fall 2015WCPA literary journal, The Worcester Review. 

Finalist Bios

Anna Maria College: Andrew Scott Farrar, Paxton, MA
I grew up in Paxton, Massachusetts, and moved away after high school to work and travel. After spending a couple of years in Boston, I moved back to Central Mass to return to my education. Reading and writing have always been definitive hobbies of mine, that along with traveling.

Assumption College: Sam Hutchings
Sam Hutchings is a Junior English Major, and has had several poems published in The Worcester Journal and Boston Review.

Clark University: Levi Byrne, Reading, PA
I was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and lived in several different states before coming to Massachusetts for college. Books and poetry have always been a huge part of my life, and I’ve experimented with writing various forms of poetry, short stories, and two novels.

College of the Holy Cross: Marianne Muro, Bolton, CT
Marianne Muro hails from Bolton, Connecticut. She is currently a senior at the College of the Holy Cross and will be graduating this spring with a B.A. in English and a minor in Education. Marianne plans to attend law school next year in pursuit of a degree in education law.

Fitchburg State University: Jonathan M. Berglind, Leominster, MA
Jonathan Berglind resides in Leominster Massachusetts. He is the production editor of Detour, an online zine run by students of Fitchburg State University. He is a Film/Video major with a minor in professional writing and wants to write screenplays and fiction professionally. Jonathan was unable to attend the finalist reading.

MCPHS University: Nora Elghazzawi, Newton, MA
I am a second year PharmD Student at MCPHS. I am studying to become a clinical Pharmacist with a specialty in Pediatrics. I am from Newton, Massachusetts, and went to Newton North High School.

WPI: Allison Indyk, Wappingers Falls, NY
Allison Indyk is a senior biomedical engineering student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and plans to pursue a career as a physician in medicine. She uses writing as a way to stay connected to her values and creativity and uses it as a means to explore the human experience through such self expression.

Worcester State University: Sarah Leidhold, Acushnet, MA
Sarah Leidhold is a senior in the honors program at Worcester State University from Acushnet, Massachusetts. She is the winner of the Barbara Pilon Poetry Contest (2014) and third place in the Commonwealth Honors Project Competition for a chapbook of poems, “Superfluous Sincerity” (2014). An English and Education double major, Sarah is currently completing her teaching internship in Worcester while writing poems and book reviews.

Contest Judges

Liz Heath has been writing poetry for 17 years and performing for almost 10. She’s participated in slams, workshops, demo slams and school performances. She is an organizer for 7 Hills Slam, Worcester’s poetry slam venue. She’s self publicized 2 books of poetry (Re-arranging the Alphabet and This Is My Therapy). Her poetry talks about life, love, redefining beauty and raccoon men. She was a finalist in the first WCPA college poetry contest in 2008.

Of Abenaki and French Canadian heritage, Cheryl Savageau was born in central Massachusetts. She graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and studied writing at the People’s Poets and Writers Workshop in Worcester. She is the author of the poetry collections Home Country (1992), Dirt Road Home: Poems (1995) nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and Mother/Land (2006).

Contest Chair

Jim Cocola is an Assistant Professor of Literature, Film, and Media in the Department of Humanities and Arts at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and has also served on the faculty of the Language and Thinking Program at Bard College. His essays and poems have appeared in publications including the minnesota review, n+1, Polis, VIA: Voices in Italian Americana, and The Worcester Review.