Senior Ansley Clark’s love for written expression paid off at a recent literature conference, where she was honored for a collection of her poetry.
Clark won the Northwest Undergraduate Conference on Literature’s “Most Imaginative Work” award for six of her poems.
“Going to the conference was such an affirming experience,” Clark said. “It was wonderful to be surrounded by peer poets and to see the direction poetry is headed for people my age.”
The March 20 conference was hosted by Portland State University and featured more than 100 students from Portland and surrounding areas, including Willamette University, University of Oregon and Reed College.
Clark said many of her poems, including her award-winning collection, are centered on familial relationships.
“She deals with setting to explore the significance of relationships,” senior classmate Samantha Jordan said. “She doesn’t just capture the person but also the place she’s tied to the person.”
Although Clark said she is developing her poetry skills, she didn’t start her Linfield experience with a firm grasp of the art.
“I hate reading my work from freshman year,” she said. “I submitted some poems to CAMAS that year, and they were so bad that they weren’t even accepted. It wasn’t until this year that I felt my voice getting solid.”
Clark attributes part of her love for poetry to being exposed to Jordan’s writing during their sophomore year. Jordan and Clark started writing together in a creative writing course.
“As someone with the same educational background as Ansley, it’s exciting to see her winning awards and to know that someone who has taken the same classes as me is succeeding,” Jordan said.
Clark also acknowledged Professor of English Lex Runciman, her adviser, as a key contributor to her growth in writing. She has taken various writing classes from him, including a poetry course that helped her hone her skill within the genre.
“She has been able to create a voice that works effectively to let her say what she wants to say in a poem,” Runciman said. “Finding out how to sound like yourself isn’t easy.”
While at Linfield, Clark has been active in the Department of English by being student co-director of the Writing Center and president of the Linfield Literary Arts Club. Clark was also on a committee to help select a new English professor this year.
“Ansley has made great use of the English department,” Jordan said. “She has read writing that members of the department like and then has created her own niche of poets to follow from those recommendations.”
After she graduates from Linfield, Clark plans to earn a Master of Fine Arts in poetry.
Clark said she advises new writers to actively pursue their craft through constant practice.
“Just keep writing,” Clark said. “There’s a place for everyone’s writing. Your experiences are your own, and you can offer a piece of insight and life that nobody else can.”

Joanna Peterson
Culture reporter Joanna Peterson can be reached at [email protected]