Kendra Craighead
Arts Editor
Poet Julie Sophia Paegle, professor at Cal State San Bernardino and author of “Twelve Clocks,” read from her poetry collections Oct. 27 in the Interfaith Chapel.
Paegle began her reading with a sonnet, “Goodbye Love Song with Oil Painting,” from her first collection, “Torch Song Tango Choir.”
“One of the forms that most haunts me as a poet is the sonnet,” Paegle said. “Sonnets do form the skeleton of my first book.”
Her reading of her own work was thoughtful and soft, making the intimate space of the chapel even more so. Students from the English and creative writing departments filled the pews as the reading went on, and Paegle welcomed them between poems.
The modern languages department and creative writing program sponsored the event.
“Twelve Clocks,” Paegle’s most recent poetry collection, is being studied in this semester’s Poetry Writing class, which covers contemporary works of poetry.
Paegle received her doctorate in English literature and creative writing with an emphasis in poetry from the University of Utah in 2006, and has been writing poetry for most of her life.
Angela Thomson-Brenchley, who teaches Poetry Writing, introduced Paegle by listing her many publications, qualifications and accomplishments.
Isamari Camacho, junior creative writing major, was the first of three students to give a brief introduction to Paegle’s work, explaining the strongest elements of “Twelve Clocks” and why it was such an engaging collection.
“This epic poetry collection utilizes societies relationship to time to display how themes of progression and loss have transcended mythology and recur throughout the ages,” Camacho said.
“Twelve Clocks” is available on Amazon for $16.
Kendra Craighead can be reached at kendra.craighead@laverne.edu.
