BELS Teacher Writes Poetry on Cape Cod
Melanie Swetz, head of English at Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School (BELS), spent two weeks this summer as the recipient of a merit-based scholarship at the Norman Mailer Writer's Colony, in the writer's former home in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
She explored poets and lineage with Bob Holman to inspire new approaches to writing. Mr. Holman has taught for the New School, Columbia University and NYU. He is the founder and artistic director of the Bowery Poetry Club in New York.
Quincy Troupe led her exploration of links between linguistics, metaphor and music to create new American poetic forms. Mr. Troupe is the author of 18 books, including 10 volumes of poetry. He was California's first poet laureate. Currently he is editor of the journal Black Renaissance Noire, published by the Institute of African American Affairs at NYU. Quincy Troupe is scheduled to visit BELS in Erzurum and Ankara in late April.
Ms. Swetz was short-listed for the Bridport Prize in Poetry (UK) in 2011 for her poem "Mehmet's Lemons," inspired by Mehmet's Bufe on East Campus. This year she won first place in the Milford Arts National Poetry Contest (US) for "Winter Time Moon."