2006 Poetry Reading

On October 18, 2006, over fifty students, faculty, and staff attended an evening of undergraduate prose and poetry readings hosted at College Library in Helen C. White Hall. The second annual event was held in the Open Book Collection and was sponsored by Illumination: The Undergraduate Journal of Humanities. The event featured the works of Mary Chen, Tala Cordero, Lindsay Daigle, Tyler Falish, Hannah Jurowicz, Jackie Luskey, Sandy Knisely, and Annika Sargent who were all introduced by the editor-in-chief of Illumination, Xiao Yu Wang. The reading featured writers previously published in the journal, as well as the work of current staff members.

Illumination was founded two years ago by Adam Blackbourn, a student who wanted to provide undergraduates with a public outlet for their original, creative work. The goal of Illumination is to give undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin the opportunity to publish work drawn from the humanities, and in doing so, make the public aware of some of the school’s best talent.

Since its inception, College Library has enjoyed a rich partnership with the staff and editors of Illumination. Their “Fall 2006 Photography Exhibition” is currently on display in the Illumination Art Gallery, also situated in the Open Book Café and Collection, Room 1250, of College Library. Eliot Finkelstein, who administers the collections and programming in Open Book, sums up his feelings about the event, “I am really pleased that so many people are able to see and hear the wonderful undergraduate talent nurtured by Illumination. Their efforts fit in so well with the mission of College Library that we’re delighted to collaborate with them in events like tonight’s reading.”

Photographs of the event were taken by Kelli Keclik, Public Services Librarian at College Library.