On March 18, the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society and Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society partnered to host the annual Ides of March Poetry Reading. Students attended and read a poem of their choice. To commemorate the event, students received a t-shirt.
Held under a particular tree between the Hangar and Stubbs, ULM continues the readings started by history professor H.P. Jones in the 1990s. Now his daughters, guests Beth and Kathy, continue the tradition. The Ides of March occur on March 15, the day of Julius Caesar’s assassination.
Keith Willard, Jones’s son-in-law, first read “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Students clapped exactly three times after each poem, a tradition also begun by Jones to ensure each reader received equal attention. People read works from modern poets such as Sylvia Plath and ancient poetry written in Old English, German and Scottish.
One reader presented an original poem. Mateline Bratton, a history graduate assistant and president of Phi Alpha Theta, read a poem about desire from the Middle Ages.
“I think it’s a nice reminder of H.P. Jones and what he stood for,” Bratton said. “The Ides of March was obviously important to Roman history, but it also holds a legacy of poetry and culture.”
The ancient world influences the modern day more than we may think. ULM’s campus has a Roman relic in our Fant-Ewing Coliseum, similar to the Roman Colosseum where thousands of Romans watched gladiator fights. Of course, today’s games are less violent.
Monica Bontty, a history professor specializing in the ancient and medieval world, attended the event with her Middle Ages class.
“It was great,” Bontty said. “I read a poem by Goethe in German and then I translated it into English.”
The event provided an opportunity for students to socialize while recognizing the importance of shared art. History professor Jeffrey Anderson frequently attends these events.
“For me, it is a time to take a break from my standard work,” Anderson said. “[I can] celebrate the approach of spring and spend some time enjoying students sharing something meaningful.”
If you are ever near the thin tree between the Hangar and Stubbs, be sure to read the plaque at its roots and learn about an important piece of ULM history.
