Roane State’s Stephens honored for poetry

While she loves writing poetry, the challenging act of “paring and refining” her efforts is as enjoyable and intellectually challenging, Roane State Community College assistant professor of English DeAnna Stephens said.

Stephens’ poem, “Bundt Season,” was recently a finalist in the prestigious Lascaux Review. That literary journal provides a showcase for emerging and established writers and artists whose talents have lingering impacts.

Her poem “deals with the rituals surrounding death, and the complex ties we maintain with family,” said Stephens, who said she wrote her first poem when she was 13.

“I am drawn to poetry…because it connects the individual experience to the universal in a way that is different from other genres,” she said.

She said she appreciates “poetry’s emphasis on concision, its frequent reliance on what is not said, and its celebration of the image as it attempts to create meaning and make connections with readers.”

She said she relishes “paring and refining a poem, line by line.”

“That the whole feel or meaning of a poem could change if a poet chooses to use a different word in a particular line fascinates me.”

For more information on Roane State, visit roanestate.edu or call 1-866-GO2-RSCC (1-866-462-7722).

This press release was submitted by Owen Driskill.