Poetry Night at the Cozy Kovler Café

Parker’s Nightviews series continued on Monday evening with Poetry@Parker, our annual event in which poets from the Parker community come together to read and hear the poetry of Parker. Hosted by Principal Dan Frank and the English Department, 15 Parker poets read their original poems to a warm audience of more than 40 people in the Kovler Family Library.

Staff arranged library chairs and tables to resemble a cozy cafe, and delicious hot cocoa served with cookies and bars greeted poets and audience. English Department Co-Chair Matt Laufer began and ended the evening, starting with a poem by former Parker English teacher Sam Mock. Middle and Upper School students read their work, including two 7th graders: Uma Morris read “Why We Tie Knots,” and Cloud Gate, also known as the Bean, was the subject of Teddy McGuire’s work. Our youngest poet was 3rd grader Sloane Zeller. Her Post-it poetry reminded listeners that a poet can reflect on large ideas in small spaces.

Members of the faculty and administration, as well as Upper School students, read new poems and works in progress. This was the first time we had the opportunity to hear the poetry of English teacher Alicia Abood, who has an MFA in poetry. Her poem “Socks,” about the struggle to keep socks on a child’s feet, spoke of universal parent-child interaction. Laufer ended the evening with a new poem of his own, a Homeric simile in dactylic hexameter, written because he lost a mini-golf bet with a sophomore at County Fair.

The evening’s warmth and ease were facilitated by the gracious organization of Assistant to the Principal Sarah Butterfield and the delicious refreshments provided by Quest Food Service.

We are looking forward to more poetry at Parker as we welcome, for the 7th Annual Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed Fund for Poetry presentation, former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey on April 16 at 7 p.m.

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