Witty, whimsical, wise, or weighty — the topics are diverse, the styles distinct, and each shows off the personality, creativity, and life experiences of the writer. Pine Run Villagers participated in the third annual poetry writing contest earlier this summer. Designed to focus on the creativity and fun of self-expression, Villagers were invited to submit poems on any topic. Some Villagers submitted new poems and some turned in works penned in earlier years. All were reviewed by select members of the Delaware Valley University English Department in a new and exciting partnership: Dr. Brian Lutz, Chair of the English Department; Dr. Wilbert Turner, Associate Professor of English; and Katie Carnevale, Instructor. The winners and the categories are:
- Connie Rafle, selected as Pine Run’s newest Poet Laureate
“Stripping Wallpaper” - Joan Cantone won in the “General” category
“Sweater Girl of 1950” - Phyllis Carroll won in the “Creative” category
“Trains” - Joe Hartman won the “Love” category
“Symmetry”
“When we received the poems, we tweaked the categories a bit to subscribe to the content in the poems,” said Dr. Lutz. “After a few conversations among the judges, we concluded that for Creative we would think about those poems whose content, sound, form, or delivery expressed the writer’s ideas in the most unique or surprising way. Love poems were easy enough to separate from the group, and for General, we concluded that so many of the poems pulled on the depth and wisdom of the writer’s experiences, that nostalgia and history best covered the category of general. With this in mind, we tried to pick poems that best exemplified these qualities—a job, I would add that was neither easy nor obvious as so many of the poems were well written and evocative.”
With Pine Run’s longstanding commitment to supporting healthy living and wellness, “our Villagers’ needs and interests are our top priority,” said Maria Santangelo, Pine Run’s Executive Director. “Artists and writers thrive at Pine Run and whether someone is an accomplished artist or someone who may just want to try a class in something new, our activities programs provide an outlet for each.”
The Delaware Valley University judges were thrilled to partner with Pine Run on this project. “While I typically teach a younger crowd, I think the creative mind ages differently,” said Dr. Lutz. “It does not get better or worse, but rather, like a numismatist, collects more and more currency. How you spend it, though, matters. I was enthralled by how the residents of Pine Run gathered their experiences like coins and how they chose to display and spend them. The value, scope, and vantage point of an experience may be different as one ages, but that difference neither gives value nor diminishes it. The poet, the word hoarder, does that by the vehicle of their language.”
Dr. Lutz continued, “One of the great pleasures of judging any contest, though especially poetry in my experience, is to meet the local geniuses who crafted the work and to begin to orient the work on the canvas of the life and personality of its creators. All of us in the English department were delighted to have been gifted a chance to meet with the writers and poets, to share a laugh and to learn from the poets about their inspirations and their efforts.”
Following the judging, an event was held in the Pine Run Community Center and the winning poets were invited to read their work and meet the judges.
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Pine Run is part of the Doylestown Health network, which includes Doylestown Hospital and has served the Bucks County community for nearly 100 years.