By Dakota Galvin, College of Arts and Sciences
Natalie Scenters-Zapico, an award-winning poet and assistant professor in the Department of English, is gaining global recognition. Scenters-Zapico, who shapes the local literary community as director of the Michael Kuperman Memorial Poetry Library, has a poem in the prestigious 鈥淏est American Poetry鈥� anthology, cementing her work as essential reading at USF and for audiences across the country.
鈥淚 wanted to capture the delirious pain and confusion I had at our systems of documenting births in this country. I also wanted to capture my delirious joy that (my son) was born safely,鈥� Scenters-Zapico said.
Scenters-Zapico鈥檚 work has appeared in several notable literary publications, including 鈥淧OETRY,鈥� 鈥淭he Kenyon Review,鈥� 鈥淧loughshares鈥� and 鈥淭he Paris Review.鈥� Her book 鈥淟ima :: Lim贸n鈥� won Yale University鈥檚 Windham-Campbell Prize in 2021. But she says being featured in 鈥淏est American Poetry鈥� holds special meaning for her.
鈥淚t is a deep honor to be in 鈥橞est American Poetry 2024鈥� and to be selected by a poet I deeply admire like this year鈥檚 editor Mary Jo Salter. I think the most exciting thing about being in 鈥橞est American Poetry鈥� is knowing that your work will be read by a wider readership than usual and taught in classes. What more could you ask for as a poet?鈥�
鈥淏est American Poetry鈥� has been a cornerstone of the poetry world since its inception in 1988, showcasing the finest poets from across the U.S. Each year, a guest editor curates 50-75 poems, highlighting the richness and diversity of American poetry.
Scenters-Zapico鈥檚 piece, 鈥淪entimental Evening,鈥� was drafted during the first week of her son鈥檚 birth and aims to capture the complex feelings surrounding early motherhood.
Scenters-Zapico read her work at this year's Trail Blazers event. Photo by Corey Lepak
鈥淚 wanted to capture the delirious pain and confusion I had at our systems of documenting births in this country. I also wanted to capture my delirious joy that he was born safely. In the poem, I play with the idea that writing about motherhood, especially early motherhood, is often seen as sentimental and unserious. In this poem, I try to complicate that bias for myself and, in turn, for my readers,鈥� she said.
Scenters-Zapico鈥檚 advice for aspiring writers wanting to be published in major publications like 鈥淏est American Poetry鈥� is: Don鈥檛 give up.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 believe in your work, no one else will. Keep working on your craft every day like it鈥檚 a job and believe your poems will get better. Because ultimately, it should always be about making the poems better 鈥� recognitions are just a nice nod but shouldn鈥檛 ever be the goal when you sit down to write,鈥� she advised.
She also urges aspiring writers to value the unique attributes that exist in poetry.
鈥淧oetry is in many ways contradictory to the current culture. It values vulnerability, contradiction, and stasis. It is because of this, though, that poetry has the power to truly change the way that people think because it requires that people read in a way that forces them to engage the page and then the world and others in new ways.鈥�