Chandra Miller, director of purchasing at OSU Institute of Technology, is used to working with numbers, but she also has a love of words.
“Since my youth I’ve had an interest in poetry,” said Miller, so last year she participated in the Poets Live Poetry Reading on the OSUIT campus held during National Library Week.
“It was an awesome experience. I was nervous, anxious and a bit worried although this was not the first public speaking for me,” she said. “But all of that somehow fades away. There is something almost magical about participating in an event such as this, especially with a writing you’ve selected and rehearsed.”
The 9th Annual Poets Live Poetry Reading is the highlight of the week’s events organized and put together by the OSUIT Library staff.
Jenny Duncan, library director, said ten students, staff or faculty members will be chosen to read during the event, which is Wednesday April 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Applicants have until Friday April 4 to submit the work or works they would like to read. Original pieces are recommended, but not required, and each person has a 10-minute time limit. Each participant will also receive a $15 gift certificate to the OSUIT Bookstore.
National Library Week is April 13 through 19 this year, but April is also National Poetry Month so the library has always combined the two, Duncan said.
This year Duncan and her staff wanted to bolster the week’s activities and offer more than just the poetry reading and daily refreshments.
“We’re excited about expanding it,” she said.
In addition to refreshments in the afternoon, each day will have some kind of contest or event to draw people into the library including board games, puzzles and chess boards set up.
Monday people can guess the number of M&Ms in a jar, Tuesday there’s a famous poet word find, Thursday there’s a library crossword puzzle and Friday people can guess at how many books are in the library’s collection. The winner of each of these contests receives a $50 gift certificate to the Bookstore.
“We had some other ideas that we may include in future years,” Duncan said. “Each year we’ll do something a little bigger and better.”
The main event is still the poetry reading on Wednesday.
“I’ve been impressed by what’s been read,” she said. “They get nervous, but the readers all make each other settle down. They calm each other down.”
Miller is ready to do it again and is deciding what piece to recite at this year’s poetry reading.
“I recommend it for everyone, whether the want to be a participant or an audience member,” Miller said. “Jenny Duncan and her committee are to be commended for their work and I truly thank and appreciate them for the vision to host such a unique activity right here on campus.”
OSUIT National Library Week Activities
Board games, puzzles and chess available every day as well as refreshments at 1 p.m. Daily activities begin at 8 a.m. and prizes are awarded at 3 p.m.
Monday April 14: Guess the number of M&Ms in a jar. The closest entry will win the jar of candy.
Tuesday April 15: Famous Poet Word Find. All correct entries enter a drawing to win a $50 OSUIT Bookstore gift certificate.
Wednesday April 16: 9th Annual Poets Live Poetry Reading at 2:30 p.m. in the ONG Lounge at the Student Union. The 10 poets selected to read will receive a $15 OSUIT Bookstore gift certificate. Therapy Dogs on hand from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Thursday April 17: Learn About the Library Crossword Puzzle. All correct entries enter a drawing to win a $50 OSUIT Bookstore gift certificate.
Friday April 18: Guess the number of print books in the OSUIT Library collection. The closest entry will win a $50 OSUIT Bookstore gift certificate.