Day of poetry and prose honors professor

The 2nd Annual Albert A. Dunn Day of Poetry and Prose took place on Tuesday, April 20 in the Williams Center. Albert A. Dunn was a professor in the English department here at Fredonia and died in 2007. In his honor, a scholarship and book grant were established by the Fredonia College Foundation. The proceeds of this event will be used to benefit the students who receive these awards.

Being National Poetry Month, it is prudent to witness at least one event dealing with the subject. For presentation and style, this year’s day of poetry and prose was a huge step up from last year’s event. The arrangement of the food and seating were well thought out. There was a program this year featuring all the speakers, poets and poems in order of recital. This made it easier to follow along, rather than allowing the mind to wander. There was a somewhat larger audience this time around and a diverse group of speakers – students, friends and family of the late Professor Dunn and some admirers who never had the opportunity to meet him. Some of the speakers were familiar faces and they did a fantastic job this year just as they did last year.

The poetry featured was mostly old favorites – Gerard Manley Hopkins, Charles Dickens, Robert Frost, Edgar Allen Poe and so on. However, there were a few surprises. A student presenter performed “Dream Anatomy” by Alison Stine, who recently spoke at Fredonia for the Visiting Writers Series. Some of the most intriguing performances were Mahmoud Darwish’s “To A Young Poet” and Jorge Luis Borges’ “The Art of Poetry”. The presenters for both of these poems read parts in both the original languages and in English, giving the full impact you do not always get when reading a translated version. The audience seemed to enjoy the rendition of Charles Dickens’s “Our Mutual Friend.” The majority of the room was chuckling along as the speaker read.

It was a treat to hear from relatives, friends and even one of Professor Dunn’s students. There was an opportunity to learn a lot about Professor Dunn if you paid attention to the poem selection and each presenter’s introduction. Many of the presenters were fabulous and made William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” far more interesting than it might have seemed the last time you read it in an English class.