Poetry for Everyday Use
Lifelong Learning | Registration opens 8/7/2025 9:00 AM EDT
After years of teaching English, I learned that few things evoke grimaces than the word poetry. But life has also taught me that when readers are confronted with poems that bring smile, emotional responses of joy and understanding, the fear of not comprehending meaning evaporates. Carl Sandburg write, “Poetry is the report of a nuance between two moments, when people say, ‘Listen!’ and ‘Did you see it?’ ‘Did you hear it? What was it?’ This course will explore the poetry of Emily Dickinson to Linda Pastan, with many in between. My objective for this course is to show that poetry is not for the scholars alone. Everyone can learn to overcome their fear of poetry by, as Adrienne Rich writes, “Diving into the Wreck.”
Sr. Rita Yeasted
Sister Rita Yeasted, SFCC, Ph.D., a graduate of La Roche, holds two degrees from Duquesne University, all in English Literature. Her official title is The Dorothy Saladiak Distinguished Professor of English Emerita. She has taught in the Pittsburgh area from 1962 at levels from elementary through university, and has been at La Roche for 42 years, serving as English Department chairperson for three decades. Recently retired, she now teaches as an adjunct professor.