Inaugural Poem "Uphill"

"At the bottom of the hill, 
a woman waits, up above,
the white columns of Jewell
take shape."

                  -from "Uphill"


My poem 'Uphill" was commissioned by Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls to celebrate her inauguration as the 15th president of William Jewell College on October 20th, 2017. The poem combines my own text with quoted material from a variety of sources from across Jewell's history, creating a poem that allows me to better fulfill my role as a voice of Jewell's community. "Uphill" celebrates the historic appointment of Jewell's first woman president by telling the story of how women first came to study on "the hill" while also seeking to leave the audience energized to meet the hills of the future.

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