On Saturday, about 50 people gathered at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church in State College for its second annual poetry contest and reading — 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 the nine poets who read their work during the event.
Davis read from his poem “How to Measure Sea Level Rise”:
“Like the calving of glaciers, you can hear from a long way off where the land closest to the water folds and buckles.”
The poets chose the climate and environment as this year’s contest theme.
Jeff Packard is the rector of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. He said he hopes the poems about climate change will raise awareness about “caring for creation.”
“It’s something that we’re certainly concerned about. We can do better. So yes, we need to be talking about it and taking action,” Packard said.
He said the church was excited to host its poetry contest during the Arts Festival.
“We’re just delighted to be here and part of the Arts Festival and its return after three years because of the pandemic,” Packard said.
While there are no definitive plans for future poetry contests, Packard says he “wouldn’t be surprised” if it turned into an annual event.