Professor Scarpino nominated for Poet Laureate

Professor Andrea Scarpino needs your vote! She has been nominated for the Poet Laureate of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This great honor recognizes her literary excellence in rhythmical composition.

Professor Scarpino released her first full-length poetry collection Once, Then in the summer of 2014. She previously authored the chapbook The Grove Behind (Finishing Line Press, 2009). Andrea has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has been published in numerous journals, including The Cincinnati Review, Connecticut Review, The Los Angeles Review, PANK, and Prairie Schooner. She is currently a weekly contributor for the blog “Planet of the Blind.”

Andrea was named director of the Master of Arts program at Union Institute & University in 2014. She also serves as a faculty member of the Ph.D. program, and a graduate & interdisciplinary studies professor.

On September 6, 2013 Al Sharpton hosted “Advancing the Dream” at the Apollo Theater, a live television event focused on the civil rights movement. As part of the pre-show, MSNBC produced a live web discussion featuring Professor Scarpino and student Ray Jordan from Union’s MLK Studies specialization.

The competition for Poet Laureate of the Michigan Upper Peninsula is sponsored by Great Lakes Commonwealth of Letters (GLCL). GLCL is a nonprofit organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that was started by a small group of enthusiastic people with a passion for literature and a background in bookselling. In creating the nonprofit, the group hoped to satisfy a simple, but vital, mission: to encourage, promote, and celebrate the literary endeavors of writers within the Great Lakes region.

Professor Scarpino is competing against 10 nominees. The title of Poet Laureate will give her additional opportunities to celebrate and champion the written word.