For Elliot Wilson ‘25, writing papers is a requirement. Writing poetry is something they do for themselves.

They first heard about the Connecticut Poetry Circuit last year when their friend and fellow Quinnipiac student August Della Donna ’25 was awarded the title of Connecticut Student Poet, they attended a local reading.

The next year, Professor Jason Koo, the current official Connecticut Poetry Circuit Poet, nominated Wilson for the same title.

After submitting five poems, they were chosen as one of the Student Poets at the end of 2024.

“I’m thrilled for Elliot, who is one of the most brilliant and hard-working poetry students I’ve ever had the honor of working with,” Professor Koo said. “I’m also proud of the Quinnipiac poetry community as a whole, as this is the fifth year in a row we’ve had a student win this contest.”

“Newcomb, New York” is a five-stanza poem Wilson wrote to reminisce over their childhood vacations and how much they’ve grown since and “American Mass” is page-long, free verse poem written as one sentence about the psychological impact of shooting a gun for the first time.

The other three poems, “New Me,” “Ecstasy” and “A Long Silence” are two-stanza sonnets in a unique rhyme scheme.

“Each of the seven lines in the first stanza rhyme with the next seven, so the rhyme pattern is A-B-C-D-E-F-G, A-B-C-D-E-F-G,” Wilson explained. “I haven’t ever seen this done in a sonnet, so I decided to do it. I wanted to try a new challenge.”

The poems address themselves about their transition, their love for the Renaissance, and their preference for the nighttime over the day. Inspired by sonnets and poetry they were reading for their classes, these poems helped them secure the Connecticut Student Poet title.

“I am incredibly proud of Elliott for being named the Connecticut Poetry Circuit winner, continuing our proud tradition of student excellence in this prestigious recognition, made possible by the guidance of our exemplary, award-winning faculty,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Adam Roth.

As Wilson embarks on a Connecticut tour, the other four winners from universities across the state will join them to read their poems to crowds at high schools and universities.