On Saturday, about 50 people gathered at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church at State College for its second annual poetry and reading competition – this one during the arts festival. Local writers and poets from out of state read their poems during the event.
Todd Davis was one of nine poets who read their work at the event.
Davis read an excerpt from his poem “How to Measure Sea Level Rise”:
“Like the calving of glaciers, you can hear from afar where the land closest to the water bends and warps.”
The poets chose climate and the environment as the theme for this year’s competition.
Jeff Packard is the rector of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. He said he hoped the poems about climate change would raise awareness to “care for creation”.
“It is something that certainly concerns us. We can do better. So yes, we need to talk about it and take action,” Packard said.
He said the church was delighted to host his poetry competition during the Arts Festival.
“We are just thrilled to be here and to be part of the Arts Festival and its return after three years due to the pandemic,” Packard said.
While there are no definitive plans for future poetry contests, Packard says he “wouldn’t be surprised” if it became an annual event.
