Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno And Frank X Comparison
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Rachel Agin
Mrs. Merrell Gross
ENC 1101
12 April 2011
804
Ars Poetica Everyone has a story, as some choose to keep their lives private, others choose to put theirs on paper for hundreds to read. A popular form of self-expression, as well as telling ones story is poetry. With more than enough authors publishing their poetry, one has to really stand out to become an award-winning poet. Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno and Frank X. Walker are both poets who hold multiple awards for their literature. Although they both may be recognized for their immaculate and symbolic writing skills, these two are far from identical writers. Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno and Frank X. Walker might share the same award, but their way of writing proves correct that they are two completely different people with two very different stories. …show more content…
Frank X.
Walker, an author, educator, and Affrilachian poet, is a native of Danville, Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He later received an MFA in writing at Spalding University. Needless to say, writing being his passion was what he would spend the rest of his life doing, telling his and others stories in many poems published worldwide. “Statues of Liberty” was his first poem that was later published in his first book Affrilachia, this book being his ticket to success, opening many doors for Frank. He has lectured, conducted workshops, read poetry, and exhibited at over three hundred national conferences and universities around the country. He is the founding member of the Affrilachian Poets as well as the editor of
many
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poetry books, the founder and executive director of the Bluegrass Black Arts Consortium, and an associate professor in the department of English at the University of Kentucky. There is no doubt that Frank X. Walker is an extraordinary and respected poet who has received many awards. In 2006 Frank was awarded the Thomas D. Clark Literary Award for Excellence, Actors Theatre’s Keeper of the Chronicle Award and in 2005 he received a $75,000 Lannan Literary Fellowship in Poetry. He still continues to write poetry and teach at the University of Kentucky as well as editing when he has the time. Frank is a loving father of two children and a grandfather to five. Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno moved to Philadelphia at a young age to attend Temple University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in English and a master’s in education. She taught at a high school in her hometown for five years and later began working at another for thirteen years and counting. Kathleen met her husband while going to college at Temple. A poet himself, David Bonanno has been married to Kathleen for twenty-six years. Kathleen’s poetry first appeared in Women’s Review of Books and Margie: An American Journal of Poetry, which led to her becoming more successful. Kathleen and her husband adopted two children in 1987, Leidy and Luis, both of whom were left by their birthparents. Kathleen and David believed their lives were perfect as their daughter Leidy was going off to nursing school, until she was found in her apartment dead, strangled by her boyfriend with a telephone cord. This heart-wrenching event in Kathleen’s life gave her a story. She wrote the book of poems about her daughter’s death and the events surrounding it called Slamming Open the Door. Kathleen is now an advocate for victims’ rights and is a member of the Montgomery Country Parents of Murdered Children. She holds the “Women of Courage/Women of Inspiration Purple Ribbon Award” from
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Lutheran Settlement House in Philadelphia, which she received in 2008. She has received many awards making her an outstanding and talented poet, teacher, speaker, mother and wife. Although Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno and Frank X. Walker share quite similar lifestyles being poets and educators, their styles of writing are far from similar. Kathleen is a participant, she writes about things in which she has experienced or has witnessed in her lifetime personally. Frank is an observer, writing about the things he sees on the news or events taking place around him in his every day life, but none that particularly or directly affect him as a person. Kathleen tends to emphasize the importance of memory, being that her struggles are more personal. Frank goes by what is currently around him, he has a connection to his surroundings and writes about the political and cultural struggles of people in the world, not himself. Kathleen is directly a victim of the struggles in which she writes about, Frank witnesses as an outside source. Both wonderful poets and the definition of artists, they lead very different lives. It is all about someone’s story, whether it’s experiencing it first hand or watching the world work in its own ways, everyone has a story, and some choose to write about it.
Rachel Agin
Mrs. Merrell Gross
ENC 1101
12 April 2011
804
Ars Poetica Everyone has a story, as some choose to keep their lives private, others choose to put theirs on paper for hundreds to read. A popular form of self-expression, as well as telling ones story is poetry. With more than enough authors publishing their poetry, one has to really stand out to become an award-winning poet. Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno and Frank X. Walker are both poets who hold multiple awards for their literature. Although they both may be recognized for their immaculate and symbolic writing skills, these two are far from identical writers. Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno and Frank X. Walker might share the same award, but their way of writing proves correct that they are two completely different people with two very different stories. …show more content…
Frank X.
Walker, an author, educator, and Affrilachian poet, is a native of Danville, Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He later received an MFA in writing at Spalding University. Needless to say, writing being his passion was what he would spend the rest of his life doing, telling his and others stories in many poems published worldwide. “Statues of Liberty” was his first poem that was later published in his first book Affrilachia, this book being his ticket to success, opening many doors for Frank. He has lectured, conducted workshops, read poetry, and exhibited at over three hundred national conferences and universities around the country. He is the founding member of the Affrilachian Poets as well as the editor of
many
Agin2
poetry books, the founder and executive director of the Bluegrass Black Arts Consortium, and an associate professor in the department of English at the University of Kentucky. There is no doubt that Frank X. Walker is an extraordinary and respected poet who has received many awards. In 2006 Frank was awarded the Thomas D. Clark Literary Award for Excellence, Actors Theatre’s Keeper of the Chronicle Award and in 2005 he received a $75,000 Lannan Literary Fellowship in Poetry. He still continues to write poetry and teach at the University of Kentucky as well as editing when he has the time. Frank is a loving father of two children and a grandfather to five. Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno moved to Philadelphia at a young age to attend Temple University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in English and a master’s in education. She taught at a high school in her hometown for five years and later began working at another for thirteen years and counting. Kathleen met her husband while going to college at Temple. A poet himself, David Bonanno has been married to Kathleen for twenty-six years. Kathleen’s poetry first appeared in Women’s Review of Books and Margie: An American Journal of Poetry, which led to her becoming more successful. Kathleen and her husband adopted two children in 1987, Leidy and Luis, both of whom were left by their birthparents. Kathleen and David believed their lives were perfect as their daughter Leidy was going off to nursing school, until she was found in her apartment dead, strangled by her boyfriend with a telephone cord. This heart-wrenching event in Kathleen’s life gave her a story. She wrote the book of poems about her daughter’s death and the events surrounding it called Slamming Open the Door. Kathleen is now an advocate for victims’ rights and is a member of the Montgomery Country Parents of Murdered Children. She holds the “Women of Courage/Women of Inspiration Purple Ribbon Award” from
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Lutheran Settlement House in Philadelphia, which she received in 2008. She has received many awards making her an outstanding and talented poet, teacher, speaker, mother and wife. Although Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno and Frank X. Walker share quite similar lifestyles being poets and educators, their styles of writing are far from similar. Kathleen is a participant, she writes about things in which she has experienced or has witnessed in her lifetime personally. Frank is an observer, writing about the things he sees on the news or events taking place around him in his every day life, but none that particularly or directly affect him as a person. Kathleen tends to emphasize the importance of memory, being that her struggles are more personal. Frank goes by what is currently around him, he has a connection to his surroundings and writes about the political and cultural struggles of people in the world, not himself. Kathleen is directly a victim of the struggles in which she writes about, Frank witnesses as an outside source. Both wonderful poets and the definition of artists, they lead very different lives. It is all about someone’s story, whether it’s experiencing it first hand or watching the world work in its own ways, everyone has a story, and some choose to write about it.