Penn Poets meets to share, inspire, discuss

Although Robin Williams and Robert Sean Leonard were not present at the first meeting of the Penn Poets Society in Houston Hall Tuesday evening, the atmosphere was still punctuated by bursts of creative energy. The Penn Poets Society hopes to provide students with an open forum for the discussion, reading and writing of poetry, according to College junior and Society facilitator Scott Glassman. The Society was formed because students needed a setting where they could get feedback on their poetry without a professor's criticism, College senior Sascha Abramson said. "I came to this meeting looking for an unbiased and friendly environment where I can read poetry without feeling like it will be graded," she added. Wharton sophomore Ben Farkas said he felt the Society would inspire him to write more often. "Last year at Penn I found that I never picked up my notebook to write," he explained. "I hope to find people with common interests to write and read poetry with." Nursing junior and co-facilitator Jean Sumner agreed. "We want people who have written anything to come and share their work," she said. "Our goal is to help inspire people to write." The Poets Society is planning many events for its first year on campus, including poetry-reading fund-raisers, writing excursions to Longwood Gardens and the Philadelphia Art Museum, and a project to teach eighth and ninth grade West Philadelphia students about poetry. "Society is often apathetic to the arts," said College freshman Lesley Finn. "It would be great to entertain and inspire eighth and ninth graders." Another goal of the society is to "foster new friendships between people who have a common interest," Glassman explained. This was demonstrated as the new members sat on the floor in a circle tossing a koosh ball in the air in order to get acquainted. Members were then given random objects -- such as a bathing suit, syringe and ice pack -- and asked to use the items to create a skit. Future meetings will take place every Wednesday at 8 p.m., and this week's meeting will be held in room 217 of Steinberg-Dietrich Hall.