The Center for Poetry and prose

Welcome to the Center for Poetry and Prose led by Professor of English, Dr. Kristine Ervin who is currently serving as the Director.  We are excited for the upcoming events and activities to bring together the great work that our creative writing and poetry faculty have been doing - all while providing more focused ways to support our students, faculty, and the community. 

The Center for Poetry and Prose will continue the Spencer Poetry Awards (e.g., Donald Justice Poetry Prize,  Spencer Undergraduate Poetry Awards, and Wil Mills Chapbook Award), invite poets and creative writers to share their work with students and the community, and support the growth and development of the poets and creative writers in our midst. 

Please continue to check back to this page and the Poetry Facebook for updates and news about upcoming events.

Last fall, we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Donald Justice Poetry Prize where Kean Spencer presented signed copies of each book to university president, Dr. Lorraine Bernotsky. To read the full article, please click here.

 

The CPP offers a variety of programs and activities that help expand its mission of bringing poetry to an ever-widening audience.

Awards and Activities

  • The Spencer Poetry Awards, including:
    • the Donald Justice Poetry Prize
    • the Iris N. Spencer Undergraduate Poetry Award
    • the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award
    • the Wil Mills Chapbook Award
    • the Rhina P. Espaillat Award
    • the Sonnet Poetry Award
    • the Villanelle Poetry Award
  • Poetry reading series
  • Workshops on topics related to poetic craft

The West Chester University Center for Poetry and Prose offers an active, interesting, and diverse slate of activities. We invite you to join us and discover the joys of poetry.

Photo of Kean Spencer

Fall 2025: Kean Spencer in the Special Collections Library at West Chester University

 

Mission Statement

The West Chester University Poetry Center was created in 2000 to further the study and appreciation of poetry. The goals of the Center are to:

  • provide the nation's finest instruction in the diverse traditional techniques of poetry

  • recognize poetic achievement through the Spencer Awards

  • provide an international forum for the discussion of poetic form and prosody

  • train teachers in the art of teaching poetry and poetic form

  • foster the necessary dialogue between practicing poets and critics in a culture that too often separates them

  • illustrate the important connections between contemporary poetry and fine printing

 

Center for Poetry and Prose Advisory Board

The West Chester University CPP Advisory Board supports the overall objectives of the Center, including the Spencer Poetry Awards, through promotional and fund raising activities.

Board members are identified and recommended by the members of the Center for Poetry and Prose Advisory Board and the Program Director of the CPP in consultation with the West Chester University Advancement Office.  All appointments to the Board are approved and made by the President of West Chester University. The Board is composed of members/advocates of the arts community, University alumni, and local and national business and civic leaders.

Current Poetry Center Board Members

  • Kean Spencer, President
  • Emily Culbertson, WCU Foundation Director of Development
  • Rhina Espaillat
  • Kyle Spencer

 

Fortnight of Festivities