LAURINBURG — About a dozen people gathered at Scotland County Memorial Library on Tuesday to listen to a Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet and her mentees.
Beth Copeland, Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet for the central region of North Carolina, and St. Andrews University students Hope Botts and Kaitlyn Lomax read their work.
The North Carolina Poetry Society’s Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet Series brings together poets and students from eastern, central, and western regions of North Carolina.
Student poets are selected from middle school, high school, college, and adults not currently enrolled in school. Student poets work on about a dozen pages of their own poetry. Distinguished poets mentor selected student poets in writing and revising a dozen pages of poetry and coach them in the craft of oral presentation.
At the end of the period, each regional group of student poets presents a reading with the distinguished poet at a designated site open to the public.
“The turnout was light but everyone enjoyed themselves,” said Library Director Leon Gyles. “The poetry was excellent and we’re planning to do it again next year.”
Copeland is the author of three full-length poetry books: “Blue Honey,” recipient of the 2017 Dog-fish Head Poetry Prize; “Transcendental Telemarketer”; and “Traveling through Glass,” recipient of the 1999 Bright Hill Press Poetry Book Award. Her poems have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies and have been featured on international poetry websites.
She has been profiled as poet of the week on the PBS NewsHour website.
