York faculty member publishes second poetry collection

York faculty member publishes second poetry collection

Noel Sloboda's poetry collection about Shakespeare productions was released April 1.

Noel Sloboda, instructor in English at Penn State York, is the author of "Stages," a new collection of poetry about Shakespeare productions, released April 1 by Buffalo small press sunnyoutside. Sloboda will share poetry from this book and some of his other writings during a poetry reading at 12:10 p.m. on April 20, in the Lee R. Glatfelter Library on campus. This event will celebrate National Poetry Month as well as the publication of Sloboda’s newest book. The poetry reading is free and open to the public.

The poems in "Stages" celebrate Shakespeare’s plays as cues for performance, on stage and beyond. Addressing a range of works in just a few poems, Sloboda reflects on "The Comedy of Errors," "Titus Andronicus," "Romeo and Juliet," "Julius Caesar," "Richard II," "Macbeth" and "King Lear." Reveling in the enduring power of these plays, Sloboda brings the language of the plays to bear on diverse topics, including sex, addiction and parenting, exploring a range of possibilities for relating Shakespeare to 21st century life. The chapbook, "Stages," retails for $12. He is author of two other books, "Shell Games," a collection of poetry, and "The Making of Americans in Paris," a book on Edith Wharton and Gertrude Stein.

An expert on Shakespeare, Sloboda serves as dramaturg (literary consultant) for the Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival. His work on Shakespearean film adaptations has appeared in Studies in the Humanities and in the collection In/Fidelity: Essays on Film Adaptation (Cambridge Scholars Press). He has contributed to the Encyclopedia of American Literature, the Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction, the Student’s Companion to American Literary Characters, and the Literary Contexts series. His creative work has appeared in venues based in Canada, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Sloboda is a graduate of Washington University with a masters and doctorate in English and American studies and has a bachelor of arts in English and philosophy from Connecticut College. He was the recipient of the 2005 James H. Burness Award for Excellence in Teaching at Penn State York and the 2006 recipient of the campus’ advising award in recognition of outstanding advising to students. Sloboda was the driving force behind the campus’ online student magazine, Any Other Word, and serves as its adviser.