_{“Language is inherently musical” – Yolanda Wisher}

The 2016-2017 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, Yolanda Wisher, performed a reading of her various poems at Holy Family University on Wednesday, October 4th. In the Education and Technology Center auditorium, the seats were pleasantly filled with eager students and community members, ready to hear Wisher’s esteemed messages of perseverance and inner-city living.

Covering topics of motherhood, ancestry, and identity, Wisher easily captivated her audience with her theatricality and language. Wisher’s delivery was astonishing, as the audience was immediately silenced when she began to sing, and rhythmically thump the podium before her reading. The environment of the ETC auditorium was relaxed as Wisher performed her beloved poem “5 South 43rd Street, Floor 2”, in which Wisher describes walking through the streets of West Philadelphia. Multiple students were eager to engage with Wisher during the Q&A session, asking her about her creative process, as well as about how she is able to so flawlessly capture the streets of Philadelphia in her poetry. When asked how to gain inspiration to continue writing poetry, Wisher suggested a thesaurus and physical exploration of a certain location in order to ground oneself in the potential poem’s setting.

On behalf of the students of HFU, we would like to thank poet Yolanda Wisher for her contribution to our community, as well as Dr. Shirali and Dr. Kopka for their role in managing the Distinguished Writers Series.

Susie DiPietro is a fourth year English major, and Creative Writing minor at Holy Family University. She is currently interning as a Co- Executive Editor of Tri-Lite, and her interests include vintage music, film, and fashion.