Seibles visits local schools
YOUNGSTOWN
About 150 East High School students received free books and study guides during a visit from award-winning author Tim Seibles.
Tuesday’s event was part of the Youngstown State University Poetry Center and Etruscan Press’s three-day outreach program.
Seibles, a poet from Virginia, is the author of seven books of poetry, including “One Turn Around the Sun.” He is a National Book Award Finalist and Theodore Roethke Prize Winner, as well as a recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center.
Philip Brady, a YSU English professor, helped quiet students down while introducing Seibles.
“Poetry requires a special kind of silence,” he said. “If you can create that silent space, you will hear things that you’ve never heard before that no one else can hear.”
While Seibles was reading, Gloria Darty, English language learning educational assistant, was taken aback by the experience.
She said having speakers such as Seibles is so important to students’ educations because it exposes them to the arts.
“It’s just a great experience,” Darty said.
Principal Denise Vaclav-Danko agreed.
“It’s exciting for our students to participate in the One Voice writing contest because we have submissions of possibly future published authors,” she said.
Sophomore student Syledah Ellison said having famous people come in and speak with students sets positive achievement examples.
“We could hold ourselves up to get to their level,” she said.
Not only did Seibles visit East students, but he also spent time with students from Choffin Career and Technical Center, Youngstown Early College and Austintown Fitch High School. Students at the other schools also received free copies of the author’s books as well as study guides.