NEWS

‘Boo!’ poetry reading

Host and English department head Tom Zimmerman reads Halloween-themed poetry from Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare during the open mic. Lilly Kujawski | Washtenaw Voice

By Cheyenne McGuire
Contributor

On Oct. 30, the Bailey Library held a poetry reading to celebrate the publication of Boo!, an anthology produced in collaboration with the WCC Poetry Club.

The anthology is composed of written and visual art from the WCC community, all of which share a Halloween theme.

At least 15 people showed up to the event, and more than half of them performed a poem.

Prior to the reading, computer science major and Ypsilanti resident Stel Drake shared her reasons for attending.

“I heard about this event because I went to Poetry Club last Friday. It was my first time going,

and it was a great experience,” said Drake. “I’m here because I want to hear poetry from my fellow students and maybe share my own as well.”

For Betty Adams, a WCC Poetry Club member, the open mic served as her first time performing in front of an audience.

“It was nerve-racking, but it was fun. It was a safe environment, in the sense of having the [other WCC Poetry Club] poets with me,” said Adams, after her performance.

Contributing authors and attendees signed up to read their own works or those selected from a “basket of spooky poems,” in the words of faculty member Tom Zimmerman, who hosted the reading, in addition to editing and contributing to the anthology.

Zimmerman explained how Boo! came to be.

“Last year, the WCC Poetry Club and the Bailey Library participated in an anthology called “The Journey”. We were so happy with how that turned out, [librarian] Molly Ledermann and I decided, let’s try to do another one. And we thought, how about one for Halloween?,” said Zimmerman.

According to Zimmerman, the WCC Poetry Club loves to work collaboratively, and the Bailey Library has been a great partner.

“We are very thankful to have them as colleagues,” he said.

Copies of the Boo! anthology are available in the Writing Center.

Students, alumni, faculty and staff members are welcomed to contribute to future issues.

Information regarding past and future anthologies can be found via wccpoetryclub.wordpress.com.