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By Marcus Smith ’27, Student C<\/strong>orrespondent<\/strong><\/p>\n Aleksander Zywicki \u201910<\/strong> was selected by Kevin Prufer, the Texas State Poet Laureate, as the winner of the 2024 Barrow Street Poetry Book prize for his debut collection \u201cZOUNDS!\u201d<\/p>\n The Scranton alum attributed his recent publishing success largely to his professors at The University of Scranton, who he said gave him a real sense of what it means to be a poet.<\/p>\n \u201cZOUNDS!\u201d is a deeply personal work for Zywicki, who wrote the book as a way of processing grief and his personal struggles with religious faith.<\/p>\n \u201cIn so many ways, this is a book about devotion and in the absence of traditional faith, finding those things in life that are still worthy of that,\u201d Zywicki said.<\/p>\n The title itself refers to those themes of faith, he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cThe word \u2018zounds\u2019 is an early modern contraction of the words \u2018Christ\u2019s\u2019 and \u2018wounds.\u2019 It is very literally designed to evoke the crucifixion wounds of Christ,” Zywicki said.<\/p>\n The book\u2019s collection of poems is divided into four parts, each of which represents a section of Zywicki\u2019s life, starting with the loss of his father as a child and culminating in his own experience of becoming a father.<\/p>\n Not only is the publication of \u201cZOUNDS!\u201d a major step forward for Zywicki\u2019s poetry career, he describes its selection by Prufer as an emotional milestone, as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the most thrilling and exhilarating thing that\u2019s ever happened to me. To have my work picked by this judge was so special because I admire both him and his work tremendously,\u201d Zywicki explained.<\/p>\n For Zywicki, the University\u2019s Department of English was where he really came into his own as a poet.<\/p>\n \u201cScranton really taught me what the writing life had available, and I have remained hooked ever since,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Later this month, Zywicki will have a public reading to celebrate his publication at Little City Books in Hoboken, New Jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cZOUNDS!\u201d is currently available for preorder on the Barrow Street Press website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Marcus Smith ’27, Schuylkill Haven, is an English and theatre double major at Scranton.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n