Potential poet laureates gathered at “The Read” to flex their creativity and express their emotions though the written word.

Poetry fans met at the Moorpark College library/learning resources building on Oct. 20 for readings from three guest speakers and first timers.

One of the special speakers and first up to the mic was Helga Winkler, MC Spanish professor.

Reading some original poetry and pieces from foreign countries, Winkler expressed the importance of expanding poetry horizons.

“I encourage [students] to read poetry from another country,” said Winkler. “It’s amazing how much you can learn just by reading poetry from other countries.”

Following Winkler, student poets bravely took the mic to read their original works, which was rewarded with gracious applause.

Hart Schulz, MC English professor, was the next speaker, opening with the lighter side of poetry, keeping it comedic and light hearted.

Showcasing works from Germany, Schulz compared and contrasted American and German poetry.

In hopes of sparking students’ creativity, Schulz distributed free poetry books to the crowd.

David Cabrera, MC student, expressed his surprise at the poetry potential at MC.

“I didn’t know we had so many talented writers here at school,” said Cabrera.

The last guest speaker was Jade Shames, a poet for over 10 years, freelance writer and writer at Demand Studios. Shames read his original work from his book.

Shames takes much of his inspiration from his own life, like a poem about his grandfather.

“Many of my poetry comes from personal experiences,” said Shames.

If you want to submit any of your own poetry contact Schulz at [email protected].