Joshua Jones Receives the Special Contribution to College of Liberal Arts Award

This year the College of Liberal Arts presented Joshua Jones with the new “Special Contribution to CoLA Award.” A particularly deserving student, Joshua kick-started Woodbury’s live poetry events with his kinetic spirit.

In January of 2019, Joshua helped start “Verse Come, Verse Serve,” the student-run poetry open mic in the courtyard of Woody’s, the University’s cafeteria. “The genesis of the event began the previous year in January of 2018 when Joshua and I would run into each other at lunchtime,” said Professor Mike Sonksen. “He would always share his latest poem with me.” Joshua engaged in two of Professor Sonksen’s courses, INDS 102: Natures in Spring of 2018, and Writing 1705: Poetry Workshop in the Fall of 2019, and throughout his course work Joshua’s consistency has never wavered. His enthusiasm has only continued to grow and he never stops writing poems. Joshua recently finished an internship at the Sims Library of Poetry, and he has started off-campus poetry events with bookstores, libraries, coffee houses, and galleries. Joshua is always encouraging other writers and praising their work. Even as his own voice echoes across campus, Joshua listens closely to his classmates and shares the spirit of a community artist. Professor Sonksen created the following acrostic poem honoring Joshua and all his contributions to the Woodbury community.

Joshua Jones goes in on these poems

Openhearted stanza extravaganzas

Symbiotic poetics verse come, verse serve

Harnessing verbs Van Ness words west

Until Jones blesses listeners earlobes

All the ancestors know Joshua Jones

Jonesing for Joshua’s poems

Our community literature initiative

Narrative synthesis is Josh’s intricate

Elucidation for the new nation

Sonic synchronicity the Josh Jones theory

Last Updated on May 6, 2021.