The juniors and seniors involved with Peddie’s Creative Writing Signature Experience headed to Newark to experience the Dodge Poetry Festival and experience famous poet readings, workshops and craft talks on Oct. 21.

The first session included former U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins and New Orleans poet Ricky Laurentis who often writes poetry about social issues and his home in the South. Both poets read pieces of their writing and then answered student questions including one on whether it was important to try various writing styles to be a successful writer.

Later in the day, the seniors attended a session including some feminist poetry, featuring poets like Mahogany Browne and Ellen Hagan. Hannah Campbell ’17 said this was her favorite session she attended at the festival.

“I loved listening to all the poets talk about their craft just because I learned how to develop my own craft from listening to them,” Campbell said about her overall experience at the festival.

The juniors attended Poetics of War which featured poets who were veterans writing about their experiences during their military service. It was unanimously agreed that this was the students’ favorite session of the day due to the smaller crowd and more personal connection with the poets. During the final session of the day, the students headed to Military Park to each read aloud a piece of poetry.

“I have stage fright, so this was a huge thing for me, but it actually turned out fun. I think all of the sig kids are shy when it comes to reading their poetry, so it was a good step out of our comfort zones,” Elle Kang ’18 said about her experience.

All the students enjoyed this trip out of the classroom as it allowed them to gain some perspective on the craft and on the performance of poetry. The Creative Writing Signature Experience is set to return in two years.