Senior Meaghan awed the audience with an animated, accent-filled reading of “Ode to American English,” and Ericka '10 clinched the Poetry Slam title with her original piece, “Black,” recently at Foxcroft School’s annual Paul K. Bergan Poetry Festival.

The Festival, renamed three years ago in honor of a beloved English teacher, combined the usual highlights -- competitive and non-competitive readings, a coffee-house style Slam, and a visit from a published poet -- with a several unusual treats this year. For one, Bergan himself was in attendance for the first time since he retired in 2007, serving as a judge and sharing his love of verse with a recitation of Rudyard Kipling's "If."

For another, current English teacher Mia Noffsinger celebrated the publication of her book Ghost Town by reading from the collection of her poems. Visiting poet Lesley Wheeler also read from a recently-published book, her poetry collection entitled Heathen. Wheeler is the head of the English Department at Washington and Lee University and author of a poetry chapbook, Scholarship Girl, and several scholarly publications.

Meaghan's winning performance of Barbara Hamby’s poem in the English 401 division highlighted the competitive readings, held Saturday, January 16 and judged by Bergan and Wheeler. Other winners from among the three finalists in each grade level who had been chosen by their peers and certified by faculty judges were: Clancey '11, who earned English 301 laurels with Robert Frost’s “After Apple-Picking;” Olivia '12, who read a piece by Mark Slaughter to take English 201 honors, and Avery '13 in the English 101 competition with Edgar Allen Poe’s “Alone.”

Ericka emerged the victor on Friday night (1/15), after a brave collection of 14 girls representing all four classes shared original poetry and spoken word pieces at the much-beloved Poetry Slam. Her roommate Chandler '10 placed second and Cynthia '11 took third.