Gaye Theresa Johnson gives inaugural lecture for the new CRPE department

term — is to share with the audience about life in struggle. This includes the lessons, wisdom and pitfalls embedded in social activism. But also, Johnson demonstrated … there is empowerment, romance, friendships, personal growth, dignity and justice to be found when struggling for a better world on and off campus,” Hernández said.

Johnson’s message and work align with the new critical race and political economy department. “CRPE offers a curriculum that explores how race, colonialism and capitalism shape the unequal distribution of wealth, resources and power at local and global scales,” Iyko Day, Elizabeth C. Small professor of English and chair of critical social thought and English said. Day, who will be the interim chair of the CRPE department, emphasized that through the curricular pathways of Africana studies, Latina/o studies and CST, “there is both a preservation and augmentation of each existing unit of study.”

The competition itself took place in Gamble Auditorium on the evening of March 31, where the contestants read their poetry. In the lobby outside of Gamble Auditorium, free copies of Joyce Horner’s poetry book “Flag and Feather” were handed out as well as five different zines about the history of the Glascock poetry contest, made by students in Assistant Professor of English Anna Maria Hong’s archive’s class. The Joyce Horner Poetry Prize is one of the sponsors of the event, along with the Kathryn Irene Glascock Memorial Fund, the Charles and Rosanna Batchelor Memorial Fund, the InterArts Council and the College’s English department. Attendees also received a pamphlet with each of the contestant’s poems printed inside.

Interim President Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum gave opening remarks and provided a short history of the

Glascock poetry contest. Shortly thereafter, the contestants, each of whom was introduced by a student member of the Glascock committee, performed their poetry.

“The reading had a great vibe, a lot of people showed up. … I felt like people were really excited to be there and to hear the contestants’ work and everyone was super respectful,” Aderet Fishbane ’25 said.

Bosworth was the first to read, speaking with a direct and powerful voice while delivering seven poems that centered on themes of queerness and ecology.

“I had written those poems a long time ago. I think they’ve even changed a little since I submitted them but it felt really good and natural to read them, and the audience [was] super great,” Bosworth said in

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 u