WESTFIELD – On Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. the Loughman Living Room in Scanlon Hall will host alumna Lisa Mangini ’08 as she reads poems from her new collection, Bird Watching at the End of the World.
Mangini released three chapter books in 2014, one fiction and two poetry in addition to Bird Watching at the End of the World. Along with own work, Mangini strives to showcase others’ talents, evidenced in her 2011 founding of Paper Nautilus, an independent literary journal, which is released once a year.
Leah Nielsen, associate professor of English, believes Mangini’s reading could inspire students to pursue careers in creative writing.
“The benefit of bringing Westfield State alums back to campus to read their creative work is that it allows current students to see what the future can hold,” Nielsen said. “It’s hard, sometimes, when you’re in school and dreaming of a writing career, to realize it can actually happen. Lisa’s reading and question and answer session will provide a chance for our current writing students to envision their own writing lives.”
Mangini teaches English composition and creative writing at several New England colleges including Asnuntuck Community College, Holyoke Community College, Southern Connecticut State University, and the University of Hartford.
Before she started teaching, Mangini spent six years in the insurance industry, working primarily in project management and contractual editing.
Nielsen believes all of Mangini’s writing forays will be beneficial for students to learn from.
“Her writing and career experiences make her an excellent model for students,” she said. “Her poetry is imagistic and she’s a talented reader of her work. Even those members of the WSU community who aren’t that familiar with poetry will be comfortable at her reading.”
Nielsen is confident students will find the poetry reading worthwhile and come away from the talk with a better understanding of poetry as a whole.
“I hope event-goers will enjoy the reading, learn a bit about the writing life, and be motivated to go home and write their own poems,” she said.
