Glimpse into the life of a poet

On a campus of thousands, get to know a SCC artist

Danielle Koagel

A&E Editor

“When I was little I used to write songs, but then I realized I wasn’t very good at it, so that’s when I started writing poetry,” and thus, poetry bloomed in fellow Shoreline Community College student Lauren Erickson.

Erickson is starting her second year at SCC this fall quarter as a Running Start student. Erickson’s initial attraction to poetry came from her love of words and language and has since acted as a very personal outlet for her own brand of societal commentary, general observations, and emotional outpouring. Erickson was first recognized for her poetry in 2002 when her work, “Deciduous” was printed as an honorable mention in a collection of works entitled, “Celebrate Young Poets.” Erickson’s poetry has since been shared, although her audience has narrowed to the internet and a plethora of friends.

Erickson’s friends not only act as her audience but also as a source of her inspiration, along with her daily observations, relationships, life events and contemporary problems. Some of Erickson’s more controversial and opinionated poetry can be found in her political poems which often focus on the suppression of youth in the public voice as a pressing problem in today’s society.

Erickson uses poetry as a means of expressing her opinion in a non-conventional forum. She recognizes that poetry can be effective in a small setting, but often loses its message and doesn’t receive a lot of recognition outside of small circuits.

Erickson will continue to write poetry. “It makes me a happier healthier person because it provides a good creative outlet,” she says.

American Babies

By Lauren Erickson