Thanks to an Arts Education Grant from the Tri-County Arts Council, the St. Bonaventure University Department of English will host an on-campus poetry event for Olean High School (OHS) students on Friday, March 1.

The day’s events will include a creative writing workshop with Sean Thomas Dougherty, a nationally-recognized poet based in Erie, Pennsylvania, as well as a hands-on workshop in the Friedsam Memorial Library’s Special Collections Department.

Students will also tour the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, eat lunch with English faculty members and students, and work on their own poetry to submit to The Laurel, the university’s student-run literary magazine. Sponsored by the English Department, The Laurel is one of the oldest student-run university literary magazines in the country. This year marks the first time that The Laurel will be accepting submissions from outside St. Bonaventure, including work from seniors at OHS and from students at Jamestown Community College.

This event has the potential for long-lasting impact on both area high school students and St. Bonaventure University.

According to Sally Ventura, the grant’s sponsor at OHS, “We would like to offer this workshop on the St. Bonaventure campus because our district has a high poverty rate and we know that students who spend time on a college campus are more likely to consider post-secondary academic pursuits.”

The Department of English faculty say they are proud to partner with OHS on this exciting opportunity for our students and our region’s young people.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things. St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition.