By Jared Gudnason 

Writer/Reporter 

On Wednesday, April 15, the second floor of the Metro State Library was host to the recital of a few select, award winning poets for the 70/70 challenge, if you will. The over-arching prompt was realized, largely, by Dr. Suzanne Nielsen, of Metro State’s Writing, Literature, and Language Department, and she is central to the University’s Creative Writing Bachelor’s Program. The event was co-hosted by Professor Michelle Filkins who is a reference librarian; both are published authors.  

On the day of the event, I hopped a bus from my neighborhood around a quarter after 1 P.M., soon finding familiar library faces upon my arrival. I perched on a way-more-cushioned-seat-than-the-bus-I-was-on and waited no less than 15 minutes for the challenge to begin. Poetry, while aggressive at times, can be incredibly moving and utilitarian. Orated as tempo, topical themes ranged from marginalization from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and killings this past January, to realized but arguable fictitious interchanges between poetic characters. As an alumnus of the department itself, this was the first spoken-word recital I had attended in three years. Dr. Nielsen later informed us, the audience, that the idea behind the poems spurred, unfortunately, from a now-passed fellow writer when they wrote 90 poems in 90 days’ time. Nielsen’s poem illustrated just how earnestly spoken verbiage affects how we, as people, experience linguistic autonomy.  

Aside from Nielsen and Filkins, Metro State staff, such as library technician Devyn Fussman, Constance Klippen, Kit Nor of Haute Dish, Hamud Abdiqadir, and Hassani Harris – to name just a few – read aloud for those gathered. In addition to being a part of our Writing, Literature, and Language Program, Professor Nielsen serves as my advisor and mentor.