![\"Michelle](\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/231\/2021\/12\/Michelle-Rochniak-Student-Poet-Headshot-002-e1643217004713-500x300-1-300x180.png\")
Michelle Rochniak<\/p><\/div>\n
Western Connecticut State University<\/a>\u00a0sophomore Michelle Rochniak was named one of four Connecticut Collegiate Poets by the\u00a0Connecticut Poetry Circuit<\/a>\u00a0for 2021-22.<\/p>\n Rochniak, of Wallingford, was chosen by a panel of poets and educators in a statewide contest based on the strength and creativity of her original works. Only four to five student poets are selected each year to receive this honor; students were nominated by their professors. The collegiate poets will join other Connecticut Poetry Circuit members to hold poetry readings at colleges and community events throughout the state so that the public can enjoy original works by upcoming poets.<\/p>\n Chairman of the\u00a0WCSU Department of Writing, Linguistics and Creative Process<\/a>\u00a0Dr. Brian Clements<\/a>\u00a0nominated Michelle \u201cbecause her writing and enthusiasm for writing deserve recognition, and because she models the values of the WCSU Writing Department.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMichelle has a passion for writing, an ability to reach and communicate with audiences, and a commitment to compassion and community,\u201d said Clements. \u201cWe hope that Michelle\u2019s poems, her performative excellence and her presence on the Connecticut Poetry Circuit will make connections between WCSU, the Writing Department and the wider writing community across Connecticut and its colleges and universities.\u201d He noted that the university will host the Connecticut Poetry Circuit poets on campus this spring.<\/p>\n Rochniak is majoring in\u00a0Professional Writing with a focus on Creative Writing<\/a>\u00a0and minoring in\u00a0Women\u2019s Studies<\/a>. She is a member of the WCSU\u00a0Kathwari Honors Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA Connecticut Collegiate Poet is someone who writes strong, moving poetry, and I am proud to be recognized for this as it is the highest form of validation. I am honored and immensely grateful that Dr. Clements recognized my potential and submitted my work for consideration. I am also glad that every faculty member I\u2019ve met at WCSU has been so supportive of me,\u201d said Rochniak, who started writing poetry as a freshman in high school and did an independent study in poetry her senior year before taking poetry classes at Western Connecticut State University.<\/p>\n \u201cAt WCSU, I made many new friends, connected with professors and found my poetic voice.\u00a0I\u2019m so grateful that I feel at home in the Writing department, and I\u2019m even more grateful that people here appreciate my work and encourage me on a regular basis to continue writing,\u201d she noted. Rochniak\u2019s plans include publishing a poetry chapbook by graduation and proceeding to the\u00a0M.F.A. in Creative and Professional Writing<\/a>\u00a0program at WCSU.<\/p>\n Currently Rochniak has poems published in \u201cPerspective<\/a>,\u201d the WCSU Honors literary and art magazine, and on the\u00a0Heartland Society of Women Writers<\/a>\u00a0website. \u201cIn addition to poetry, I\u2019m obsessed with Greek mythology, which I usually reference in my work as well as my interest in and identity within the LGBTQ community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n According to James M. Gentile, director of the Connecticut Poetry Circuit, the public events will be their first professional reading engagement for most of these student poets.\u00a0\u201cThey will get to collaborate\u00a0with peers from other colleges for a memorable experience.\u00a0Many of the student poets go on to successful careers as writers, editors and in education,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Connecticut Poetry Circuit was established in 1968 to continue the work of the New England Poetry Circuit, which was founded in 1964 by the Academy of American Poets and Holly Stevens, daughter of the acclaimed poet and Hartford insurance executive Wallace Stevens. The intention of the circuit is to bring established yet unpublished poets to colleges and universities, as well as oversee a competition among Connecticut students that allows them to travel the circuit as student poets.<\/p>\n For more information, go to\u00a0www.wcsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or contact the Office of Public Relations at\u00a0pr@wcsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Western Connecticut State University\u00a0sophomore Michelle Rochniak was named one of four Connecticut Collegiate Poets by the\u00a0Connecticut Poetry Circuit\u00a0for 2021-22. Rochniak, of Wallingford, was chosen by a panel of poets and educators in a statewide contest based on the strength …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-success-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}