½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï has a long tradition of attracting and producing award-winning poets. That impressive list includes artists like John Ashbery, who taught at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï in the 1970s; Allen Ginsberg, who taught at the college from 1986 until his death in 1997; award-winning poet and author Sapphire ’95 M.F.A.; Professor Julie Agoos, an acclaimed poet and winner of the Yale Younger Poets Prize; Associate Professor and Fulbright Scholar Ben Lerner, who teaches at the college and is a mentor to Pushcart Prize-winner Ocean Vuong ’12, a graduate of the B.F.A. Creative Writing Program and the recipient of an unprecedented $40,000 scholarship from the Elizabeth George Foundation; and Gracie Leavitt ’11, whose work, Monkeys, Minor Planet, Average Star, was recently published by Nightboat Books.

To hear the work of ½ñÈճԹϒs rising poetic stars, who participated in the biannual English Majors’ Open Mic, click the play button on the audio section located to the right above.