Fireside poetry is a semesterly event held by the student-run literary organization, Society Zeta Alpha (ZA). Every fall, professors and faculty are invited to read a piece of poetry or prose at the ZA house, along side Wellesley students. Fireside is open to all members of the Wellesey community, and there are always yummy snacks and goods! In the past, people have read everything from Walt Whitman to Dr. Seuss, in Spanish, Polish, French and English! There’s nothing like seeing people get excited about literature outside of the classroom on a Tuesday afternoon. People who never planned to read were inspired and read poems off of their phones and iPads. I read John Donne’s “The Flea”.
I love having people share personal pieces that they are genuinely excited about. You learn so much about people and their families, histories and interests in an environment like that.
Here’s a pic of Kara, one of the literary chairs who organized the whole event, reading one of her favorite poems:
Kara reading in the ZA house for Fireside Poetry.