The
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Prized Poet Friday, April 8, 2016
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Volume 56 Edition 22
English teacher’s finalist poem published in prestigious journal
The oldest literary magazine in the United States recently awarded a CFHS credential to its esteemed list of published writers: English teacher Scott Lawrence-Richards. The North American Review is the oldest literary magazine in the United States. It has been publishing poems, short fictions, graphics and critical reviews since it was founded in 1815 in Boston. Writing icons such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and Flannery O’Connor are a few of the literary geniuses who have had their work published in this magazine. In the Spring 2016 edition, readers will find LawrenceRichard’s “Spring Thaw.” “I submitted the poem to the NAR’s annual James Hearst Poetry Prize competition where it finished among the finalists,” Lawrence-Richards said. English department head Courtney Lubs offered her praise for Lawrence-Richards. “I am so happy for him. I’m not surprised by this at all. He has a gift with words, as anyone who knows him knows,” Lubs said. “His writing, prose and poetry, is exceptional.” The poem is an observation
of the environment using both pastoral and urban imagery. “It’s intended conceit is the anticipation of seasonal change and, by extension, rebirth,” LawrenceRichards said. The title “Spring Thaw” was inspired by Robert Frost’s “To the Thawing Wind.” Lawrence-Richards wrote this poem based off observations from sitting in Gateway Park, across the bridge from Cup of Joe. Finding the right words to tie together to create the
powerful images in his poem, he relied on his wide range of writing tricks to keep the words flowing. “Choices for diction and phrasing are manifold and varied,” he said. “In this poem, I was looking for an aural, sonic quality to the language as well as accurate (albeit, figurative) imagery. I wanted a linear, spatial movement through the poem as well — sort of asking the reader to follow my gaze as I moved from the Cedar River up First Street to Franklin
Street.” For those looking to create their own written masterpieces, Lawrence-Richards offered some advice. “I encourage everyone to try his or her hand at writing. As a practice, it helps the writer clarify his or her own thinking, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “Good writing, however, requires more than just inspiration. As a writer, you need to be prepared to commit to the hard work of multiple editings and revisions. It’s
not easy, but it is satisfying, and in the end might just, if you’re lucky, yield a piece that, as Whitman notes, contributes a verse to the powerful play of Life.” The full length piece is available for those who purchase the Spring 2016 edition of the North American Review at northamericanreview.org for $7.
Volunteers, wish families, local companies and friends help make up the nationwide event known as Walk for wishes. Walk for wishes is a fundraiser powered by MakeA-Wish and celebrates the thousands of unique wishes and future wishes to be made for families that have run into cancer. By participating in this walk/ run 5k on April 16 at Gateway Park, participants can be a part of something wonderful and make a huge impact on kids and families who are struggling with these life threatening illnesses. One of many locals families has just recently gone through this traumatic experience. On Oct. 8, 2014, Dan and Simone Sundblad’s son, Elliot, was feeling some abdominal pain. His parents didn’t think much of it, but the
pain wasn’t going away. “When it didn’t go away, I brought him into the doctor that day. The doctor took one feel of it and knew that something wasn’t right. He ordered an X-ray, an ultrasound. That night we ended up at Mayo, and the next day they did a CT scan and confirmed that he had a tumor,” Sundblad said. The tumor had taken over Elliot’s entire left kidney, and based on the characteristics of the tumor, the doctors were certain that it was cancerous and was most likely Wilms tumor. “It had ruptured before they had found the tumor, so it required a little more treatment than it would have been otherwise. He ended up going through 12 weeks of chemo, seven rounds of radiation and nine more weeks
of chemo.” Altogether, the tough two and a half year old went through a nine month process after finding out how sick he was. Now Elliot is happy and healthy. In May it will have been one year of being cancer free, and the family continues going back to Mayo Clinic every three months for check ups. Sundblad said it was a surreal situation for her family. “It was terrible. As we were going through it, we just focused on each day, going day by day, didn’t think a lot about the future or even the next day. For instance, I couldn’t even plan the next day’s meals. I could only deal with that day,” Sundblad said. She also explained that even though they were having ups and
downs going through Elliot’s sickness, the family had tons of encouragement, love and support throughout the whole process. “We had meals delivered to our house for six months, two times a week. I was able to stay home due to a family offering to pay my salary while I was home. Though at times it could be tough or depressing, we didn’t even go there. We just focused on the positive.” At this year’s 5k, Simone and her family will be sharing their bittersweet story with the community and the trip that Elliot wished for. The family was given a trip to Panama because Elliot wanted to see the monkeys, so it was a perfect fit for the Spanish speaking family. Even though cancer is hard
thing to beat, Elliot and the Sundblads overcame the obstacles, and it has brought them closer as a family. It has helped them focus on the good things life brings and has encouraged them to step out of their comfort zone in order to help others in the community. This year the Walk for Wishes theme is Running with the Stars. Local celebrities and Wish families will running or walking the 5k in superhero costumes. Registration is at 8 a.m. Get warm and loose with zumba at 9 a.m., and be ready to run at 9:30. Join everyone in becoming a hero to the children and families in your local community.
There’s nothing in the trees or fractured branches of the bushes to excite a seasonal expectation; the finches perched on the roof gutters are feathered mittens, the brick wall beneath the exhaust vent at the café bleeds ice, and not a single newscast promises warming trends. —from Scott Lawrence-Richard’s poem, “Spring Thaw”
Drawing inspiration from a frosty wintertime view of the Cedar River near downtown Cedar Falls, English teacher Scott Lawrence-Richards created a poem for the annual Hearst Poetry Prize that earned a finalist placing and was printed in Shae Stotser Photo the spring edition of The North American Review.
By Sports Editor Jason
RATHJEN
Make a Wish 5k fundraiser set for April 16 at Gateway Park
By Staff Writer Tyler
CAMPBELL