Rybicki Reads from New Collection of Poems
After his wife lost her 16-year battle with cancer, poet John Rybicki began writing in her memory. In his new collection of poems, titled When All the World Is Old, Rybicki tells of how his family coped with her cancer.
Rybicki will read his poems at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 3 in the Anderson Reading Area of the Alma College Library. The reading, which is co-sponsored by the English department and the Co-curricular Affairs Committee, is free and open to the public.
“John is a radiant poet; his work literally vibrates with energy, even when it is in its quiet moments,” explains Laura von Wallmenich, chair and assistant professor of the English department. “This reading will have that same energy.”
John Rybicki
Rybicki began teaching at Alma College a few years ago when English Professor Robert Vivian was on sabbatical. Since then, he occasionally has returned to teach different creative writing courses.
“We are so fortunate that a poet of his talent has such fondness for and connection to Alma College,” says von Wallmenich. “John’s poetry is the reward for coming to the reading. If you are not familiar with his work, then you are in for a real treat.”
Von Wallmenich expresses the importance of poetry and how it can convey emotions that many people experience.
“John’s work is beautiful for many reasons, but it is his capacity to at once confront the raw, painful emotions of love and loss and at the same time remind us of why we must honor even those aspects of our lives that are most remarkable,” explains von Wallmenich. “I hope that people take away from the reading a reminder of why poetry matters — of what it can do and how it can transform even something as painful as grief.”
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Posted: Mon, March 19th, 2012 at 10:31AM
