By ELIZABETH LIU
Contributing Writer
College of Saint Rose professor, Daniel Nester, hosted a Prose Poetry reading with guest published author Jasmine Dreame Wagner in Albertus Hall at the College of Saint Rose on Friday, Nov. 30. Wagner is a published author in poetry and has taught undergraduate courses in poetry as well.
From Wagner’s own personal website, she describes herself as a poet, musician, and multimedia artist. Wagner is best known for her recent published work, “On A Clear Day.” Wagner is the recipient of the Artist Fellowship from the Connecticut Office of the Arts. She has also received several grants and has several publications as well.
Nester said that he heard Wagner at an event on Lark Street and claimed that “she was interesting because she was different. She had a whole bunch of different instruments with her along with her readings – I’ve never seen anything like it before.” He also stated that he has read Wagner’s work before and wanted to inspire his own students about a career path in creative writing.
The public event began with a Q&A facilitated by Nester with students participating in the discussion. Topics included highlights from Wagner’s personal life, her career paths outside of Arts and Humanities, and critical advice for students on how to hone their craft. Nester and Wagner also discussed what type of career paths students could take in order to help them financially if they are interested in becoming published writers. According to Nester, Wagner came as a guest speaker for the class before they opened up the reading to the public. They offered advice for the students during the class.
“I was inspired to see someone in the field out there and writing content in the field while she is pursuing projects that she was passionate about,” said third year English student Kyle Gingell.
The students involved in the event are currently enrolled students in Nester’s class this semester. While the discussion was predominately between Nester and Wagner, both parties also managed to get the students involved in the discussion and even encouraged discussion as well as questions. Wagner and Nester seemed to share the fact that they are both interested in diversity and music. Both individuals attempted to engage the students in the room about a musical term, reverb, which is a technical word used in poetry readings and is an effect that poets can use on their audience.
After the Q&A, Nester asked students to perform their own prose poetry written throughout the semester. The students signed up, and Nester introduced each student before they performed. There was a total of eight performers with a variety of content and styles. The performers were enrolled students who were taking “Prose Poetry” as a class throughout the semester.
Afterwards, Wagner began to read from “On a Clear Day.” She prefaced her work by stating that her writing is influenced by sound, power, and silence. From the very first poem, Wagner easily captivated everyone in the room.
Senior Kristina Golden read her original poem, “Penny for Your Thoughts” and was the only student to read her work without a script. Golden is currently a fourth year Saint Rose senior studying Adolescent Education with a concentration in English.
“It was very nerve-wracking to read my own work in front of a published author who I admire, a Professor I respect, and a room full of my peers,” said Golden. “But the experience I gained from participating in the event was good practice for me in the future.”
To close the event, Wagner brought free copies of Los Angeles based, “Fine Print: A Literary and Visual Arts Publication,” where she is a contributing editor. Fine Prints is described on their official webpage as “an independent literary and visual arts magazine.” She distributed it to the students, and suggested that they submit their own original work. Wagner described it as a “independent zine.”
