Potter College News

The Goldenrod Poetry Festival is an annual Spring event held by the WKU English Department to highlight student work and connect with other writers. The festival will be held Monday, April 1st, and submissions are due Tuesday, March 10. The WKU English club is heavily involved in planning the event, and they are eagerly awaiting applications! Emma Tharpe, the president of English club, details her experience planning and attending the event throughout her time as a student.

The English club puts in time and effort each year to plan the Goldenrod Poetry festival. Emma says that English club members excitingly oversee choosing “the date/time, the visiting poet, and we judge the submissions. We also select the prizes” because of their passion for poetry and supporting their fellow peers! Many members also attend the event or participate in the festival as well. In addition to poetry, English club has also decided to allow submissions for flash fiction this year to expand their audience and participants.

Not only do students gain the opportunity to submit their flash fiction and poetry, but they also get to hear from a local poet each year who not only chooses the finalists but also workshops their poetry with them. The guest speaker this year is Clay Matthews who wrote the poetry collection “Four-Way Lug Wrench.” When asked about her experience attending the festival, Emma said, “It was very fun. It’s nice to hear both the pieces submitted, and from the guest reader, who is always a local poet. It is a very Kentucky-feeling event. The Goldenrod is the state flower, after all.” The “Kentucky-feeling” of the event brings students closer together through commonality.

This year, students get the chance to win cash prizes including $25 gift cards to Schimmel’s Bookery when they submit their pieces! Emma includes, “1st place is $100, 2nd place is $50, and 3rd place is $25” as she discusses the involvement of English club. Regarding the application process, “it is quite simple; applicants simply need to email their submissions to daniel.liddle@wku.edu along with a cover sheet,” Emma explains. Name and/or personal information should not be included on the submission piece to protect anonymity. Submissions are also limited to one per participant.

Emma concludes, “It is super fun and a great place to interact with not only much of the English department, but from a visiting poet and other guests in attendance.” The English department encourages students to submit their work or attend the event to support their peers and have fun during mid-term season!