By Daniella Zoller

The Worcester County Poetry Association (WCPA) is a non-profit organization that was formed to promote the writing arts, founded in 1972. The WCPA not only aims to celebrate the rich history and creative energy of Central Massachusetts through public readings, workshops, and other programs, but they also aim to collaborate with libraries, museums, schools, and various other community partners to promote poetry and literary events. Recently, the organization has been partnering up with creative Clarkies, offering internships that handle various departmental tasks.

Ketshaly Philome, a senior at Clark University, has been interning with them for the past two semesters. Her main responsibilities thus far have included graphic design and web development. Although Philome stated that her position is ever changing based on the needs of the organization.

Currently, the WCPA is planning the Curt Curtain poetry contest, meaning that Philome’s current responsibilities have pivoted to help support this upcoming event. She serves as a member of the planning committee, as well as a judge on the panel. She has been handling the advertising and communications regarding the contest, and she is looking forward to its launch in March.

Philome landed this internship through connections made within her Creative Writing minor. After taking classes with Professor Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez, Philome was recommended for the role. She has done work with MassPoetry, based in Boston, and Mandy thought that with this experience and her educational background, Philome would be a great addition to the WCPA team. This internship has served as a directed study credit for Philome, supplementing her creative writing education. 

Philome’s favorite part of her job is “feeling like what she does and what she contributes can have a greater impact.” She feels passionate about “inspiring someone to put their work out there, to explore other styles of writing, and to curate something bigger.” This especially relates to the poetry contest that she has been helping oversee. The contest is for 7th-and-8th-grade students in the Worcester community. The first-place winner has a chance to win $75, as well as a spot in the Three Decker (the organization’s bi-annual literary journal).

Philome mentioned that in her youth, “small things that other people have done influenced her, and she wants to continue that influence and make the same change.” With this opportunity, she feels like she has more of a direct hand when it comes to making an impact in the community. She stated that “poetry is a gateway to something bigger, and she’s happy to help cultivate that within more kids.” Philome is excited to see underserved communities of students get the chance to express themselves and have access to these learning tools and experiences. 

Philome also feels as though this opportunity has helped her feel more connected to the Worcester community. She first began to immerse herself in the city’s creative community earlier on in her college career by attending various events at The White Room in Worcester, hosted by The Poet’s Cauldron. Being a part of the WCPA has helped her to continue growing her creative connections and curate a greater sense of community within Worcester. 

At the same time, she always feels like she could be doing more. Before graduating, she hopes to host a collaborative event between the organization and Clark students here on campus. She wants to invite Worcester nonprofits to build up the community and provide interaction outside of Clark clubs. She stated that “the creative space can be isolating, and making connections with people in the community is incredibly important.” She feels as though she has made long term connections with other Worcester creatives, and she has gained a multitude of mentors through her creative involvements that she will be able to turn to in the future.

In future career endeavors, Philome hopes to bring her Political Science major and her Creative Writing minor into conversation with one another. Especially following her experiences with MassPoetry and WCPA, she aims to work in the nonprofit sector. She enjoys the fact that there is “so much more autonomy when you go into nonprofit work,” and she likes to be a part of direct change within the organization and those who it impacts.

Philome says that the WCPA is always looking for more interns – especially those who can commute to and from events. Reach out to the English Department if you are interested in learning more and getting in connection with the organization!