World Language and Culture’s 2019 Poetry Recital
Jenna Peterson
Staff Writer
This past Thursday afternoon, the World Languages and Cultures Program transformed the Ostrander Auditorium for their annual International Poetry Recital.
Every year, students and professors alike find poems in a foreign language that they find meaningful and share it with the audience; some people even write their own poems for the audience to hear.
This year, there were 33 poems originating from a variety of languages that were brought to the stage, with the most popular being German and French. Each student explained why they chose the poem they were reciting and then presented in the language the poem was written in, giving the crowd incite to literature around the world.
There were even some people who brought in visual aid to go with their selected poem, ranging from instruments to actors in costume.
One of the senior students who performed gave me insight to what goes into this recita, though this student, prefers to remain anonymous.
He explained that many of the students who recite a poem are in a class that requires them to participate at least once. This is the second year he has performed in this recital, with the first year being a requirement and the second year for fun because he enjoyed it so much.
He enjoys having the freedom to look at poems and find one that speaks to him on a personal level and sharing it with fellow students.
The professors understand that talking on a stage in front of an audience can be nerve-racking, but they, and other students, recommend this event to anyone who has an appreciation for literature in diverse cultures.
The recital receives support from numerous people and organizations. The World Languages & Cultures program would like to give thanks to the College of Arts & Humanities, Kearney International Center, Centennial Student Union, and WLC faculty and students for working tirelessly to make this event possible and making sure it continues in the years to come.
The winners of the events are as follows.
Cordis Paldano and Maria Goings ahread the audience award. Cordis read “Bulla ki Jaana” by Bulleh Shah, and Maria read her own piece, “Untitled”.
The coveted Jury Award for Outstanding Performance Award was also shared, this timebetween three participants.
Cordis Paldano won for the same poem, Nathan Langenfeld won for “Der Zauberlehrling” by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Anubhav Luitel won for “Yatri” by Laxmi Prasad Devkota.
The final prize, the Jury Award for Honorary Mention, went to Yaman Pandey, for “Pagal” Laxmi Prasad Devkota. All in all, the event was amassive success and all the participants did well.
Header photo courtesy of Flickr.