Photo by Tzav Harrel ‘24
By Cat Barbour ’24 & Maggie Wills ’25
Books Editor | Staff Writer
“I feel like the Glascock is a survey of American poetry from the last hundred years,” Anna Maria Hong said. Hong is an assistant professor of English and part of the faculty committee of the Kathryn Irene Glascock Poetry Contest. The contest, colloquially called “The Glascock,” took place from April 1-2 in the Stimson Room of Williston Memorial Library and Gamble Auditorium. Competitors included six student contestants from different universities across the eastern United States, judged by three accomplished poets: Mary-Kim Arnold, Nathan McClain and Oliver de la Paz.
According to Mount Holyoke’s website, the event was established in 1923 by the parents of Kathryn Glascock, a poet and Mount Holyoke alum who died a year after she graduated. Notable participants in past contests include Robert Frost and Audre Lorde, who served as judges, and Sylvia Plath, who was a contestant.
Currently in its 99th year, the Glascock Poetry Contest consists of three events: a conversation with the judges, the contestants reading their work and a reading of the judges’ work, after which they announce the winner. This year, the contestants were Kate Blakely, a senior from the University of New Hampshire; Jocelyn Maeyama, a senior from Wesleyan University; Liza Marsala, a junior from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts; Darwin Michener-Rutledge ’24 from Mount Holyoke College; Clare O’Gara, a senior from Smith College and Imani Ross, a senior from Howard University.
The event kicked off with a conversation with the judges on Friday afternoon in the Stimson Room of Williston Library. Hong, who moderated the conversation, began by introducing the three poets. Many audience members seemed to hang onto the poets’ every word, and several could be seen taking notes throughout the conversation. All three of the judges shared the importance of claiming one’s identity as a poet and the power and agency that comes from this choice.
“I think that a lot of the time the arts aren’t seen as the most important subject[s], I know STEM is often prioritized,” Emma Edwards ’22, an attendee, said. “So, I think these [events] are so important for the students that maybe don’t feel as if their subjects are appreciated as much.”
Later that day, judges, contestants and an audience gathered in Gamble Auditorium for the contestants’ reading. Booklets were handed to each attendee with short biographies, photos of the contestants and the work they’d be reading. Though audience members streamed in steadily, only about a third of the seats were filled by the time the event started. Hong described the event’s relatively low profile as “charming in a way.”
Wesley Yu, associate professor of English, director of studies for English and one of the chairs of the Glascock committee, started the event with a land acknowledgment. During his introduction, he also spoke to the ever-changing world while noting that the “celebration of poetry at Mount Holyoke is almost eternal.” He then turned over the mic to the student committee members to introduce the contestants, and then to the contestants themselves to share their work.
Blakely kicked off the event. She read her poems in a strong voice with intentional pauses as audience members followed along in their booklets. During her poem “better luck,” her voice shook with intensity as she read the phrase, “you considered that maybe/ your mom didn’t choose/ to love you and maybe/ the whole concept of love/ is false … ”
The next contestant was Maeyama, who began the reading with a dedication. The poems were dedicated to Maeyama’s grandfather, who is the focus of the selection’s central poem, “hibakusha.” The central theme throughout was ceremony, family relationships, and their grandfather’s experience as a hibakusha. Hibakushas, according to “Hibakusha Stories,” are survivors of an atomic bomb. Maeyama’s work included spliced lines sprinkled across the page. “I liked how [Maeyama] just focused on the one topic, you felt more immersed in it,” Kylee Miller ’24 shared after the event.
Marsala began her reading by thanking her mentors and Mount Holyoke for hosting the event. Her poems, which took a more traditional form on the page, included repeated lines and phrases that served to unify the poems. Her first poem, “Mom,” opened with the line, “My mother insists she knows me better than I know myself/ If that’s the case,/ can she tell me what to do with all of this hurt?” The reading further explored themes of family and mental health.
The next reader was Michener-Rutledge. Her poems included delicate word choice that conjured images of nature, summertime and travel. Many pieces also highlighted the beauty of the Midwest, where she grew up. “Mary Mollusca” captured feelings of grief, beginning with the line, “It seemed that the vapid orange walls were hungry for misery/ the day my grandmother disappeared through a phone call,” and ending with, “everyone in silent awe at the light that comes of death.”
O’Gara began his reading with a content warning but followed with “I promise it has a happy ending,” illustrating the humor he finds within these serious topics. His poems were personal, yet references to geography or popular culture allowed the audience to further connect with them. O’Gara’s poem entitled “Ode To the First Long Poem in a Few Years,” encapsulated a multitude of themes including family dynamics, childhood, gender identity and mental health.
Ross was unable to attend the event, but pre-recorded a poetry reading that was projected for the audience to watch. Ross’s collection, entitled “The Art of Dying Young,” discussed coming of age in the present world. The selection included references to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The collection’s titular poem opened with the line, “First memories: a tiny screen where we see/ the flashes of lives already lost.” Ross’ poems were also personal, including dialogue between her parents and meditations on identity.
On the morning of April 2, the contestants, judges, committee members and attendees filtered into the Stimson Room once more for the third and final event. Sun lit up the room, filtering through the aged windows, creating a particularly intimate atmosphere. The chairs and sofas were rearranged into rows and artifacts, such as photos of past contestants lined the shelves of the room. The quiet, anticipatory chatter made for an atmosphere less like waiting for the results of a contest and more like a close-knit gathering of poetry enthusiasts.
Yu once again introduced the event and stepped back to let students introduce the judges who primarily read from upcoming manuscripts. Each were skilled public speakers and were easily able to be heard in the room without a microphone while they each read. After their readings, the judges gave brief commentary on each contestants’ work and revealed O’Gara as the winner. After the event closed, O’Gara said, “I am really grateful to have been a part of it. It’s a pleasure to hear everyone’s work and get to meet them.”