A Bucks County Community College professor is celebrating the publication of her fourth poetry collection.
Ethel Rackin, a professor of English at the college for 14 years, released “In Time” this spring.
The book was published by Word Works Books and is a collection of poems that explore themes of grief, discovery, and connection.
Rackin said the process of writing poetry offers her a unique form of expression.
“I took to poetry because it offered me a space to say things that would otherwise have been difficult or impossible to say,” Rackin said. “I also think that the associations that you can make between one thing and another in a poem was something that really spoke to me.”
Rackin, a Philadelphia native, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s of fine arts from Bard College and a doctorate from Princeton University. In addition to teaching, she directs the college’s Bucks County Poet Laureate Program and the Wordsmiths Reading Series.
The educator believes her work as a published author helps her connect with students by making their own writing studies feel more relevant.
“I think it makes me more empathetic towards their struggles, because writing for all of us, even for published writers, is really challenging,” Rackin said. “I think it also puts me in touch with what’s happening right now in the culture in terms of writing, and I hope to bring that to my students.”
Rackin launched “In Time” at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference and Book Fair in Los Angeles. She is also the author of the textbook, “Crafting Poems and Stories: A Guide to Creative Writing.”
Rackin will return to the classroom this fall to teach English Composition, Creative Writing and other courses.
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