Carmin Hermosillo
Staff Writer
La Verne’s first Poet Laureate and ULV Professor Emeritus Cathy Henley-Erickson took her audience through a reflective look at her poetry, which mixes her favorite elements: seasons and family.
About 20 people attended the reading held last week at the Claremont Museum of Art.
“Seasons are certainly one way to try and make sense of your life and the world around you.” Henley-Erickson said.
Henley-Erickson was named poet laureate last year.
A poet laureate’s main task is to creates poems for particular occasions and promote poetry.
The poems Henley-Erickson read were reflective of her childhood memories, and those memories of events that happened while she was raising her children.
The first poems she read dealt with the seasons of the early years of being a child.
One poem titled “Blisters” is a 6-year-olds’s memory of noticing blisters on her hands as marks of accomplishment for mastering the monkey bars.
“Memorial Day” is a poem that she wrote on behalf of the city of La Verne for memorial day, this was her way to show respect for the families whose loved ones are overseas.
Audience members seemed moved by her words.
“I was pacing it so that it wasn’t too heavy or too light” Henley-Erickson said.
Besides being a poet, Henley-Erickson has also been a docent at the museum since it opened.
Her colleagues there appreciate her time and her talent.
“This event is to show the gift and talent of our docent, we wanted to showcase her.” said Ally Hernandez, volunteer and docent coordinator for the museum.
“She’s very modern, she knows what it is to be young.” said Tammy Tang who was in the audience for Henley-Erickson’s reading.
For more information on the museum and upcoming events, visit www.claremontmuseum.org.
Carmin Hermosillo can be reached at carmin.hermosillo@laverne.edu.
