West Chester University (WCU) welcomes New York-based poet Ramya Ramana, former Youth Poet Laureate of New York City, to campus for a poetry reading on Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 4:30 PM.

The event is free and open to the public. The reading is in WCU’s Philips Autograph Library, Philips Memorial Building (700 S. High Street, West Chester). Ramana’s engagement is sponsored by WCU’s Office of Sustainability, the WCU Poetry Center, and the West Chester Green Team.

Ramana’s reading titled “Care for the World Through Poetry,” will touch on themes and ideas of both social and environmental sustainability. In 2023, Ramana was a featured speaker at the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Action Zone event in New York City and recited her poem, “For the Earth: As We Come and Go.”

Director of West Chester University’s Office of Sustainability Bradley Flamm stated, “We are thrilled to partner with WCU’s Poetry Center and the West Chester Green Team to bring Ramya Ramana to our campus. Poetry and creativity can be an act of caring for the world and issues of social justice and equity are equally important to sustainability. Having Ramya here with us is a chance to educate our campus about this broad definition of sustainability.”

The following day on Wednesday, Oct. 23, Ramana will be part of the Sustainability Research and Practice Seminar held on WCU’s Academic Quad from 12-12:50 PM. Moderated by WCU Professor of English Dr. Cheryl Wanko and WCU Professor of English Dr. Cherise Pollard, the event titled “Poetry and Sustainability: How Creativity Can Be a Form of Activism,” is also free and open to the public. The event is part of the University’s Sustainability Showcase held from 11:00 AM-3:00 PM.

Sustainability partners from across campus will speak with students about sustainability choices they can make and ways to engage with initiatives both on-campus and off.

Ramana is an award-winning American author, poet, lyricist, and writer. She was born and raised and currently resides in New York City. She has performed at events such as the U.S. Open, Tribeca Film Festival, TV One’s “Verses and Flow,” Pharrell’s Adidas campaign, and SONY TV’s Asian Women in the Arts Awards. Ramana is the winner of the Youth Poet Laureate of New York City award. In 2015, she won the New York Knicks’s Poetry Slam contest and earned a scholarship to St. John’s University. In January of 2015, Ramana was invited to read a poem titled “New York City” at the inauguration ceremony for Mayor Bill de Blasio. In addition to performing and writing, Ramana also works as an Educator and Mentor for young women and poets.

Learn more at WCU. Located at 700 South High Street in West Chester, WCU is a hub of academic diversity and vibrant student life. The university’s commitment to student success is emphasized by President Chris Fiorentino.