Three times a year, the Elon University English Department offers students an exciting opportunity to listen to an influential, contemporary writer from one of three major disciplines. Be it fiction, nonfiction or poetry, Elon students are able to submit a piece of work, which is then judged by the visiting speaker. This year’s first event featured a poetry reading by Debra Nystrom at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in Johnston Hall .
Nystrom is the author of four books of poetry, including her most recent, “Night Sky Frequencies and Selected Poems.” She also holds the position of English professor in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Virginia. Kevin Boyle, Elon English professor and event coordinator, suggested Nystrom as a judge and speaker because of her extensive experiences as both a poet and educator.
“Students have read her books in ‘Introduction to Creative Writing,' ‘Intermediate Poetry' and ‘Senior Seminar in Creative Writing,' and we have discussed her poems in our classes,” Boyle said.
Nystrom herself took creative writing classes in college, but originally wanted to be a visual artist. It was only after experiencing her own undergraduate creative writing classes that she realized her true passion lay in writing.
“It felt to me that words were going to be more likely to be a medium in which I could truly get across what I had to say,” Nystrom said.
When Nystrom crossed to the podium, the murmurs of excited English majors and minors settled into a quiet stillness, broken only by the soothing cadence of Nystrom’s reading voice as she turned to her first poem.
While each of her selections evoke different images and emotions, her poetry is connected by an undeniable common rhythm.
“I just have become more and more interested in what music—repetition of sound and phrase—can do for a poem," Nystrom said. "What I was reading before, they’re lyric poems which are moments stopped in time. But they all work together to make a story.”
In addition to sharing her own work, Nystrom began the night by announcing the poems she recognized as the standout submissions. “Gather” by senior Tim Melton, “New Territory" by senior Elizabeth Sellers-Bruch and “Living as a Poet” by junior Emily DeMaioNewton were named contest winners. “Wild” by senior Taylor Sharp and “Sundown” by senior John Martin received honorable mentions.
While the subject matter of the winning poems range from the natural world to sexual assault, one consistency is clear: all were inspired by Nystrom’s perspective as a poet.
“I’m really inspired by her concise language through her poems. She’s really able to convey big stories through very tight poetry and tight lines which is inspiring to me,” Sellers-Bruch said.
“I think I like the way that she keeps her images really small and specific. I think that’s a good model,” DeMaioNewton said. “It’s really great that our department is able to bring so many influential and different writers.”
Each winner will receive a monetary prize thanks to a generous gift from former English major, William Maness '38, in the name of his fellow Elon alumnus, Frederick Hartmann .
Nystrom’s advice for young poets was to gain as many perspectives as possible.
“The best place to learn about what your voice might be is to listen to lots of other voices and see how they do what they do," Nystrom said. "How they use language to affect a reader."
Martin experienced this exactly.
“I mean, it’s always different when you’re reading a poem versus when the poet reads it," Martin said. "It’s one of those things where it’s best to not have expectations. You’re just going to read it differently than how they thought it up, you know? But it’s always a nice surprise."
Nystrom’s visit was an extraordinary experience for creative writing students and highlights Elon’s strong creative writing program.
“They are very lucky, current Elon poets, because they have some wonderful teachers here," Nystrom said. "You’ve got a good situation here for creative writers."