Poetry, books and afternoon tea connect Kohawks during a pandemic
“Poetry is a way to get a lot of emotion in a few words. Maybe you don't have time to write a novel of how you feel about 2020, but you can write down a few lines,” Assistant Professor of English Margaret LeMay said.
Amid the turmoil of an unprecedented global health crisis last spring, Coe College faculty members rose to the challenge of converting to online learning and building a sense of community. The English Department relied on the healing power of words to brew opportunities for their students.
For Margaret, it all started when the spring term of 2020 was cut short due to COVID-19. She began to ask her poetry students to turn in voice memos of their poems and video responses to readings and each other’s work. LeMay noticed students opened up like never before. The submissions were creative with a few including visuals or elements of music. As the spring term came to a close, she also wanted to extend the chance for students to continue honing their craft. She began hosting a monthly poem exchange with online readings through the summer and fall.
“I wanted to make it clear I wasn’t offering this as a grading instructor and that there would be no specific expectations. It was my way of saying anyone that wanted to continue writing could do so because you love poetry and would love to have these conversations,” LeMay said.
Retired professor Dr. Ann Struthers is an essential member of the group. Ann taught poetry at Coe for decades and was the national fellowship advisor. She has been influential to student work. Luckily, LeMay’s students are not the only members of Coe enjoying her company. Struthers also is a part of Thursday Tea and a book club organized by Assistant Professor of English Kate Aspengren.
“Students adore her. She talks about poetry, and we celebrated her birthday virtually,” Kate said.
Thursday Tea became a department staple in 2015 after Aspengren and a group of students returned from a May Term in England. They started having afternoon tea every other Thursday for an informal catch-up on their lives and even pop culture. Thursday Tea is so popular it now has a mix of students, faculty and alumni. The tradition continues to thrive as a weekly virtual tea time that inspired the creation of a new book club in April 2020. The book club recently finished their eighth book.
“I think we all crave a sense of normalcy. It’s important for them to see each other and for me to see them. We don't have an agenda. We talk about lots of topics, and when we met in person several conversations happened at once. The idea was not to be academic. It’s just a chance to get together,” Aspengren said.
Aspengren was determined to continue giving playwriting students the opportunity to experience a production of their play. The eighth annual PlayWalk Festival was virtual last fall.
“We have a great opportunity. The power of the human voice has always been important. I think it has opened everyone’s eyes to new ways of learning that are conducive to building community as well,” LeMay said.