Sarah (SJ) Waring ’24

Other clubs, sports, and activities: 
Intern at the Poetry Center. 

Describe your major and/or concentration for someone who has never heard of your field before. 
Spending half an hour arguing about why a word is where it is. 

Did you ever have trouble deciding on a major? How did the concentration play into the decision? 
I think I always knew I was going to be an English major — I’ve been a passionate writer and reader since I was small. But it actually took me a while to decide on the poetry concentration, despite my love of writing poetry. I think I was questioning how much I wanted to commit myself to “being a poet”, but after hearing from Matt Donovan and concentrators at the time, I realized that the concentration was actually a low-stress way to explore something I’d always loved and gain practical experience. Years later, here I am! 

Could you explain a concentration to someone who hasn't heard of it? 
A concentration is a little bit like a minor, in that it’s a smaller set of courses you take on in addition to a major. What’s great about the concentration is that it’s a bit more nebulous than another type of academic path—you can fulfill many of the requirements with different kinds of classes that contribute to your understanding of the subject. Also, you’re required to participate in two practical experiences, like summer internships, which are a lot of fun. You finish it off with a capstone — in the poetry concentration, our capstone involves creating a chapbook of our own poems. Because concentrations are so small, everyone really gets to know each other, and Matt and Jen really foster community with the students. 

What is something that people often get wrong about poetry? 
People think that poetry is all boring or too hard to understand/inaccessible. It’s not! Poetry is actually one of the most exciting, versatile, ever-evolving, emotionally driven forms of art. The connection a reader can make with a good poem is like nothing else on the planet. 

Do you have a favorite poem or poet that you'd like to recommend? 
One of my favorite poems of all time is “Having a Coke With You” by Frank O’Hara. It’s not the kind of poem I usually read or write but there’s just something very special about it to me. I love how the speaker rambles on about his lover and how the beauty of art pales to the beauty of a simple moment with a loved one. 

If someone was considering a poetry concentration, what would you tell them? 
Don’t be intimidated! I hear people say that they’re interested in a concentration but feel like they’re not “enough” of a poet. First of all, you definitely are enough! Second of all, it doesn’t have to be all about writing poetry. You can be interested in reading, translating, or teaching poetry, too. And we’re all really nice people who are part of a really amazing community. 

Describe a moment from a class that particularly sticks with you. 
This past fall, I took “The Book: Theory and Practice” with Barry Moser, who’s an absolute legend when it comes to printing and book design. One day he told us about how the Parthenon was built as an optical illusion; in order for the columns to look good from far away, they had to be built a little wrong on purpose. He told us design was like that—you do small things wrong on purpose to make the end product come out right. I think a lot of things are like that. 

What’s your “Big Dream” for your future? 
I’ve wanted to work in publishing for years now, and I’d definitely call it my dream career. Beyond that, though, the biggest possible dream is to publish a book of poems someday. I’ve had the privilege of meeting and working with some truly incredible poets during my time at Smith, and the greatest honor I can think of would be to have a book on the shelf beside theirs. 

What’s your all-time favorite Smith memory? 
I have so many! Maybe making challah with a Jewish Studies class about food. Maybe all the times me and my friends have gone for margaritas downtown. Maybe the time we offended the ghost of Sylvia Plath? Name one thing in your room that you simply couldn't live without. 24 ounces of ice cold water. And my stuffed rabbit. 

What spot on campus will you miss the most? 
I will definitely miss the Poetry Center—it’s such a special space, and I’m not sure I’ll ever find anywhere like it. I’ll also miss the Chapin common room, where our community gathers to hang out

If you could give an incoming first-year advice about Smith, what would it be? 
If something seems interesting, try it! There are so many incredible things you can do here, and you can’t go wrong. 

What do you think has been the most “Smithie” thing you’ve done in life so far? 
Eaten dirt during a poetry workshop. 

What do you wish older alums knew about the class of 2024? 
I’m sure people say this a lot, but it’s really crazy how much the world has completely been turned upside down throughout our college careers. Our first semester at Smith was entirely online, and we came to campus with all of these (important!) safety regulations that made it so difficult for all of us to connect with each other. I think one of the most important things about our class year is that we all ended up forming these really strong connections anyway. We watched as everything we had been expecting from the college experience was turned absolutely upside down, and we made the best of it anyway!