Poet shares stories of life
9.24.09 / A&E / By Luke Hampton
Poet Patricia Wesley shares some of her storeis and poetry with those in attendance. (Rebekah Alviani / The Clarion Call)
Clarion University kicked off the 2009- 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series on Tuesday with a poetry reading from poet, Patricia Wesley. Wesley is the author of “Before The Palm Could Bloom: Poems of Africa,” “Becoming Ebony” and “The River is Rising.” She won the Crab Orchard Award in 2002 and the Victor E. Ward Foundation Crystal Award for Contribution to Liberian Literature.
She took time to share some of her stories and poems with students, faculty and members of the community in a poetry reading at Hart Chapel. Wesley shared feelings of amusement and sadness while sharing the poems she has written from her life experiences. One poem she read was called “Monrovia Revisited,” which gave audience members a glimpse of a world unfamiliar to many, but home to Wesley. Born in Morovia, Liberia, she was sent to a mission boarding school to avoid the civil war of her homeland. Many of Wesley’s poems share the pain of loosing loved ones and the way she remembers life before the war and civil unrest. She was able to earn a B.A. in English from the University of Liberia and then immigrated into the U.S. where she took home in Michigan. She went on the complete her M.S. in English and a Ph.D. in creative writing and English.
Wesley now resides in Altoona, Pa. where she teaches English at Penn State Altoona, which she references in her poems. These poems touch on the differences in landscapes and lifestyles between Liberia, Michigan and Pennsylvania. “One poem called ‘City’ put the Pittsburgh landscape into a unique perspective,” said junior education major Suzan Brilhart, “I’ve never thought about Pittsburgh in that sense before.” This poem described the city as “a worn-out garage, a thing in the middle of swamp country.” Wesley told the audience that that particular poem was very popular and had been published in a magazine.
Dr. Terman introduces Patricia Wesley and shares some of her past work. (Rebekah Alviani / The Clarion Call)
“I’ve never been to a poetry reading before, but it might be something I’d consider doing again. She was really interesting,” said Brilhart. Aside from poems, Wesley read from the manuscript she is writing while joking about the content. “I think I’m going to be arrested when it comes out…or a divorce,” she said. The manuscript examined day-to-day experiences from her life, including a visit to the foot doctor. The foot doctor story had many of the audience members laughing out loud, along with Wesley. “She had such a great sense of humor, I think that’s why she had they effect she did on the audience,” said Brilhart. “You wouldn’t think a story about feet would be too appealing, but it was great.”
According to a university press release, this performance is the first of several events focusing on Dr. Martin Luther King’s notions of social justice, human violence, intolerance, gender issues and the structure of job opportunities.
Helping to bring Wesley to Clarion were the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, Office of Minority Student Services, Clarion University Spoken Art Reading Series and Office of the Dean of College of Education and Human Services.
Upcoming events include: Fred Morsell, National Mix It Up Day, and National African American Read-In Day
Luke Hampton is the editor-in-chief of The Call.