“Who are you, who am I, and what in the world do we love together?” asks poet Patrick Rosal, who gave an engaging poetry reading in Dyer Auditorium on Thursday, April 7. 

Professor Rosal, who teaches at Rutgers University (Camden), prefers the humble moniker “Pat.” He opened his presentation by banging a cow bell, which automatically engaged the audience in a dynamic call-and-response relationship. Pat pointed out the role that rhythm plays not only in traditional poetry but also in everyday speech, in the music of nature within and around us. Ultimately, Pat’s presentation served to remind students of the creative energy they hold within themselves. 

Rosal’s work has appeared in many prestigious publications such as the Harvard Review, and he’s won numerous awards, including fellowships from the NEA, the Guggenheim, and a Fulbright, as well as the Asian American Writers’ Workshop Members’ Choice Award. His 2016 book, Brooklyn Antediluvian, won the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, and he’ll be one of the featured poets at the Dodge Poetry Festival in Newark, NJ, this fall, which several Moravian faculty and students may attend. 

Professor Rosal writes about love and basketball, history and hip-hop, getting into physical fights and fighting against global injustice, among many other intriguing topics. He’s also a member of the Narrative 4 Artists Network, an organization devoted to promoting empathy and engagement in the arts among young people around the world. About a dozen Moravian students have already become trained N4 Story Exchange Facilitators, and there will be additional opportunities for others to engage further with N4 over the summer and fall. 

After his presentation, Pat spent the lunch block speaking with ninth-graders from Mr. Gutgold’s World History I class, as well as students from other levels. Many students were interested in Pat’s ongoing “Water Quilting” project, which involves collecting stories about people’s experiences relating to water access world-wide. In Pat’s words, his was “a visit that fed” him, both literally and figuratively. 

We look forward to additional celebrations of National Poetry Month later in April, with a visit from slam poet S.C. Says planned for April 21st. One can’t resist saying, We need more cow bell!