WCSU Writing Department

Monday night, we were honored to welcome National Book Award winner Martín Espada back to Western Connecticut State University for the first reading of his new poetry collection "Jailbreak of Sparrows." Afterwards, he joined Dr. Clements for a conversation with the audience, and signed copies of his new book. Thank you Martín for joining us, and thank you Dr. Clements and the Kathwari Honors Program for hosting such a great event!

WCSU writing student Timothy Froessel has had his first poetry chapbook "Two Shipwrecks Holding Hands at the Bottom of the Ocean" published by Bottlecap Press.

"You’ll see a lot of things when you can see nothing but the ocean. Below you, there will be the octopus who can’t quite master playing bass guitar. The fisherman obsessed with skipping rocks will pass by you as he ventures out to sea once again. The sound of some sailor begging to a cartoon god to let them become a goldfish will surround you. You’ll feel a million shipwrecks thirst for your buoyancy.

Two Shipwrecks Holding Hands at the Bottom of the Ocean takes you through literal and figurative sinkings. For every plummeting vessel, there’s a child losing innocence and learning nostalgia. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. These 22 nautically preposterous poems only want to wrap you in a wave’s blanket and give you a teddy bear to hold to your heart."

You can purchase copies at https://bottlecap.press/products/shipwrecks

Congratulations, Timothy!