Penn State, which hasa repertoire of famous alumni, will honor one Pulitzer Prize winning author today and Friday.
The Theodore Roethke Centenary Celebration is a three-part commemoration meant to recognize and honor the life and work of Penn State professor and author Theodore Roethke, a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in 1953.
"He's a huge, huge, huge American poet of the mid-century," said Julia Kasdorf, an associate professor of English. "It's a big deal that Penn State can claim him.
Spanning today and Friday, the activities planned will include poetry readings of students', professors' and Roethke's work, along with various other events.
The event was a "collaboration from the beginning," said Hester Blum, director for the Center American Literature Studies.
The two-day celebration is the result of planning by five different organizations: the Center for American Literature Studies, Institute of Arts and Humanities, the School of Music, the English department and the Penn State Alumni Association.
Born in Michigan to German immigrant parents, Roethke grew up around his father's greenhouse, which is why so much of his poetry deals with the natural world and plants, Kasdorf said.
He taught at Penn State from 1936 to 1943 and again in 1947, Kasdorf said. He brought many acclaimed poets to speak on the then-remote campus.
Roethke is on the "must-read" list for every young poet, said Bruce Trinkley, professor emeritus of music.
Trinkley said of all the central Pennsylvania poets, "he is the one that went on to greater fame."
Roethke's work is "a great influence to the university and the town communities," Blum said.
The celebration begins with a recitation event at 4 p.m. today in 302 Pond. Undergraduate and graduate student finalists who've written poems in conversation with Roethke's work will read their pieces, Kasdorf said.
Kasdorf said she will read some of her poetry from her undergraduate years that was inspired by Roethke.
Also, English lecturer John Hruschka will discuss some of his research on Roethke's time at Penn State.
Kasdorf said Roethke's poetry combines clear and vivid imagery and is emotionally raw.
"As a young person, I was looking to poetry as a place to find language for strong feelings," Kasdorf said. "And he's somebody who wrote in that way."
At 7 p.m. in Robb Hall in the Hintz Family Alumni Center, one of Roethke's students and poet David Wagoner will read some of his work and share his experiences with the celebrated professor.
Wagoner studied under Roethke during his senior year and went on to become a notable poet himself, Trinkley said.
He was so affected by Roethke's style of teaching he later wrote a one-man play about it.
At 8 Friday evening in Esber Recital Hall in Music Building I, faculty from the School of Music will present a recital of Roethke's poems.
Many of Roethke's pieces were so lyrical they were later set to music, Blum said. The resulting songs are what performers will present on Friday night.
The performances will be "a unified vision of what poetry and literature should be and [Roethke's] take on life," Trinkley said.
The musical composition, "Open House," will also premiere Friday night. The title comes from the title of Roethke's first published poetry collection.
Composed by Trinkley, the song cycle incorporates poetry written by Roethke while he taught at the university.
Blum said Friday's event is "unusual," and is the event she feels will have the largest turnout.
Also on Friday evening, professor and poet Robin Becker will read more of Roethke's poetry.
Trinkley, who organized Friday night's event, said he is excited about the event for many reasons.
First, he noted "The Summons," an unpublished Roethke poem, will be read publicly for the second time ever.
The audience will also get to experience how the written poem interfaces with the song that results from it, an experience Trinkley said many rarely get.
"Roethke really is a significant American poet of the 20th century," Kasdorf said. "A lot of poets have learned from him and were affected by his aesthetics."
