( maria mcdonnell stirs into the ♥ of berks county as its fifth poet laureate )

poetic sways of the heart have been with maria mcdonnell since the age of three when she dictated her first poem to her mother, an english teacher. in early october, mcdonnell took on the post of berks county’s fifth poet laureate.
    
mcdonnell earned her multiple degrees in english and writing at kutztown university of pennsylvania, having grown up in the center park historic district in the city of reading.
    
in fact, she even studied under the county’s third poet laureate, heather thomas. the sometimes invisible yet solidly evident poetic ties continue onward and always—thomas grew up in renowned poet wallace stevens’ former home in reading, not learning the fact until she had stepped well out of her own childhood years.
    
mcdonnell formerly taught at reading area community college but has been an instructor at albright college now for seven years.

 

 ( photo by john robert pankratz )

    
when her sons were young, mcdonnell visited their school classrooms as a guest, bringing the delight of poetry as a welcome change of pace to the rest of the usual lesson plans.
    
mcdonnell has also been a part of the countywide poetry group known as berks bards, serving as its treasurer in the past and helping to bring former u.s. poet laureate billy collins to a reading at penn state berks. collins’ laureateship for the country spanned from 2001 to 2003.
    
she also worked with berks bards in their poets in the schools program, seeing the incredible value of this effort, especially because contemporary poetry is so often lacking in school settings.
    
poetry workshops in libraries across the county are something mcdonnell says she hopes to whip together again in her new role as poet laureate.
    
the year 2008 marked when mcdonnell had her first book of poems published under the title first i learn my name. foothills publishing based in kanona, new york released the book. mcdonnell is working  on another collection of poems for publication in the midst of her laureateship starting, too. she’s had her poems published in a number of both online and print magazines and received a nomination for the poem “joyride” in 2009 for the pushcart prize xxxiii.
    
and that first poem she dictated to her mom in her toddler years still has its place in her life, tucked away into her baby book.
         
“it’s so easy to forget that we’re all just a bunch of humans, struggling,” mcdonnell says about how poetry is sometimes what helps others to simmer boundaries with strangers from worlds away from this one, especially with well-translated poems.
    
nimah ismail nawwab, a poet from saudi arabia, as a female muslim, had a strong impact on mcdonnell in this way. her 2004 book of poems, the unfurling, is an example what mcdonnell knows would help others to get out of their own shoes and into the life of another through line after heart-pulling line.
    
“we all want others to hear our voice and understand,” mcdonnell admits. “showing your own story or trying to give voice to someone, saying, ‘hey, this is my experience,’ pulls us together.”
    
to see "the year of bones" by maria mcdonnell, available in the print version of news, not blues, email us at newsnotblues@gmail.com. we can send you a PDF of the print version if you'd like.