Oakland, Calif., poet Edgar Kunz has been a familiar face around the Eagle Rock campus the past few months, sparking interest in poetry in the form of readings, presentations and visits to poetry slams.
Kunz is one of 5 first-year Wallace Stegner Fellows in Poetry at Stanford University’s Creative Writing Program. His poetry can be found in New England Review, AGNI Literary Magazine, The Missouri Review, Narrative Magazine, and the annual Best New Poets anthology series, among other places. Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Academy of American Poets, and Vanderbilt University — where Kunz earned his Masters degree in Fine Arts — have all supported his writing over the years.
During his visits here, readings were held for Eagle Rock School students and staff, with the poet reciting selections of his poems that have been published in various literary journals. In a Q&A session following his October visit, Kunz responded to questions about his influences, his writing process, and the day-to-day life of a professional poet. In December, earlier this month he served as a Presentation of Learning panelist.
But a highlight of his visit to Eagle Rock came in October when Kunz participated in a trip to Denver with students for a youth poetry slam. Five of our students performed, including Djibril, Aaron S., Ashalou, Javon, and Kira — with Aaron S. walking off with a win.
Visits to Eagle Rock by notable writers, poets, educators and others who excel in their chosen field are one way our campus instills memories with students that can change, or have a huge impact on their lives.