Starting in May, students will have the opportunity to explore campus while accompanied by an interactive poetry experience.
Suffolk County Community College will be hosting a poetry walk starting on May 1, 2024. The event will take place around the Ammerman campus, beginning at the Islip Arts Building. This event is meant to be a celebration of art while also serving as a tour of the campus. The poems that will be presented are made by staff and students alike.
Leanne Warshauer, assistant academic chair of the English department and faculty advisor for Perspectives literary magazine, is excited about the prospects of the poetry walk.
“It was this exciting initiative that came out through the Ammerman Campus Community through Creativity committee. That community came out right after Covid to figure out ways to increase student engagement and promote the development of creativity.”
When Warshauer pitched the idea of the poetry walk to the committee, it was approved and set to go live at the very beginning of May this year.
This is the very first poetry walk of the campus, and it is currently planned to be a permanent feature of Ammerman. Ten stations will be scattered around campus, and at each station is a QR code that when scanned will project a poem made by members of Ammerman. The mile-long walk is intended to show people the atmosphere of the campus.
“I don’t think people realize how beautiful our campus is,” Warshauer said, “You’ll likely take paths you don’t usually walk.”
The students that were chosen for the walk were picked through a call of submissions. There was a selection committee consisting of the faculty of the English department. Students participate by being a part of the walk, but anyone can participate by taking part in the walk.
The poems are set to change yearly, along with the idea of seasonal events.
“I think the walk is a great way to experience poetry, nature, movement, and mindfulness altogether. These are all things that are important to me, it is a celebration of creativity.”
