WestConn student named state Collegiate Poet
DANBURY — Michelle Rochniak has been writing poems since she was a freshman in high school, often tying in her love of Greek mythology and identity as a member of the LGBTQ community.
Rochniak, a sophomore at Western Connecticut State University, has been named one of four Connecticut Collegiate Poets by the Connecticut Poetry Circuit for 2021-22. She is the first WestConn student to earn this honor.
“A 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,” she said in a statement.
Rochniak, of Wallingford, was nominated by her professor and chosen by a panel of poets and educators in a statewide contest based on the strength and creativity of her original works, according to the university. Only four to five student poets are selected each year.
Brian Clements, the chairman of WCSU’s department of writing, linguistics and creative process, said he nominated her “because her writing and enthusiasm for writing deserve recognition, and because she models the values of the WCSU Writing Department.”
“Michelle has a passion for writing, an ability to reach and communicate with audiences, and a commitment to compassion and community,” he said in a statement.
Rochniak is majors in professional writing with a focus on creative writing. Her minor is women’s studies, and she is a member of the WCSU Kathwari Honors Program.
“At WCSU, I made many new friends, connected with professors and found my poetic voice,” said Rochniak, whose work has been published in “Perspective,” the WCSU Honors literary and art magazine, and on the Heartland Society of Women Writers website.
“I’m so grateful that I feel at home in the Writing department, and I’m even more grateful that people here appreciate my work and encourage me on a regular basis to continue writing,” she added.
She plans to publish a poetry chapbook by graduation and earn her Master of Fine Arts in the creative and professional writing program at WCSU.
WestConn will host the the Connecticut Poetry Circuit poets on campus this spring.
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, according to the program website. The goal 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.
The public events will be the first professional reading engagement for most of the student poets, said James M. Gentile, director of the Connecticut Poetry Circuit.
“They will get to collaborate with peers from other colleges for a memorable experience,” he said in a statement. “Many of the student poets go on to successful careers as writers, editors and in education.”