Centre News

Annie Maggard ’08 recently had two poems published in the
“Animal” issue of “Matter Journal.” The poems—“Carabidae”
and “Cervidae”—are infused with insect and animal imagery.

Annie Maggard ’08 has found a successful way to combine her interest in nature and her talent for creative writing.

An anthropology major and creative writing minor at Centre, Maggard recently had two poems published in the “Animal” issue of “Matter Journal.” The poems—titled “Carabidae” and “Cervidae”—are infused with insect and animal imagery that tie them to the theme of this issue.

Maggard credits her professors at Centre for helping to improve her writing.

“I studied poetry at Centre under Lisa Williams and visiting professor Patrick Rosal, as well as fiction under visiting professor William Henry Lewis. Their encouragement and critique really helped me develop as a writer,” Maggard says. “I was awarded Best German Language Poem in the 2005 love poetry contest held by the foreign language departments. In 2007, I won the statewide Sarabande Books Flo Gault Student Poetry Prize, and I received Centre's Cantrell Poetry Prize in 2008.”

As a John C Young Scholar in 2008, Maggard enjoyed both the opportunities to continue writing and to collaborate with her professors.

“Being a John C. Young Scholar was one of the most pivotal experiences for me as a young writer. Along with faculty mentor Lisa Williams, I created a poetry manuscript that was titled ‘The Things That Remain.’ In writing these poems, I drew inspiration from art, nature and culture, which allowed me to pull material from several disciplines, including anthropology and archaeology,” Maggard says. “The many one-on-one critiques with Lisa were perhaps the most beneficial part of this project—a hallmark of Centre's legendary ‘personal education.’”

Even now, Maggard finds her experiences as a John C. Young Scholar beneficial to her work.

“One of the neatest things about my experience with the John C. Young Scholar program is that I continue to build upon the themes that Lisa and I explored,” Maggard says. “If you read the manuscript I produced for my John C. Young project, and then read the poems that were published in ‘Animal,’ you will see that I'm still writing about ‘the things that remain’ four years later. I use the language of nature to communicate the ideas and emotions that inspire me.”

Maggard has branched out beyond the field of writing since her time at Centre, obtaining a master’s degree in archeology at Colorado State University and conducting fieldwork in the Rocky Mountains. She continues to find unique ways to put her skills to use.

“I decided to use my anthropology training in a less traditional setting,” Maggard says. “I am now working in the healthcare field and applying to nursing programs, with a focus in palliative and end-of-life care, as well as public health outreach.”

Based on her own experience at Centre, Maggard hopes current Centre students take advantage of their opportunities while on campus.

“I have written poetry since I was very young, but my time in the creative writing program at Centre certainly helped me hone my craft,” she says. “I would encourage current students to make the most of the incredible resources available to them in the creative writing program, and also to keep writing after graduation.”

“My interests and career paths since Centre have been wide-ranging, but the education I gained at Centre will serve me well regardless,” Maggard continues. “Although I am back in school and working full-time, I still get a few poems down on paper in my spare time. I don't think I will ever be a writer for living, but I will never stop writing.”

For more information about the “Animal” issue of “Matter Journal,” click here.

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail elizabeth.trollinger@centre.edu with your feedback.

Centre College, founded in 1819 and chosen to host its second Vice Presidential Debate in 2012, is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges, at 42nd in the nation, and ranks 27th for best value among national liberal arts colleges. Forbes magazine ranks Centre 34th among all the nation’s colleges and universities and has named Centre in the top five among all institutions of higher education in the South for three years in a row. Centre is also ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News for its study abroad program. For more, click here.