Katherine Larson receives VCU Levis prize

Samantha MvCartney
Staff Writer

VCU’s 15th annual Levis Reading Prize was awarded to Katherine Larson, the author of “Radical Symmetry,” which she jokingly described as “a love for poetry and cephalopods.”

The VCU English Department, the Department of Humanities and Sciences and the MFA program in Creative Writing celebrated the award with a book reading this past Thursday at the Grace Street Theater.

The Levis Reading Prize is awarded in honor of Larry Levis, a renowned poet, writer and professor at VCU from 1992 until his death in 1996. The winner is decided by a group of graduate students, who serve as preliminary judges.

The prize recipient is given the award based on the best first or second book of poetry published. In addition to the prestigious award, the recipient of the Levis Prize is brought to Richmond for a reception and reading from their book. An additional $2,000 honorarium is given to the awardee.

This year’s event began with Gregory Donovan, associate professor of the English department at VCU, reading a funny anecdote from Larry Levis’ autobiography. Growing up in an orchard and working with the Hispanic people he grew to know and love were only a few of the subjects of Levis’ famous writings. Professor Donovan educated the audience about who Levis was, and provided the background and history of the award and its importance. An artistic rendition of Levis was also on display during the evening.

“I’m so thankful to have received this award. It is a true honor,” Larson said when accepting her award.

With dimmed lights and a soft, clear voice, Katherine read her poems “Crispus and Mimickery” and “Metamorphosis”  from “Radial Symmetry.”

Before each poem, Katherine would note her inspirations. For “Metamorphosis,” she recalls a trip to Germany where she viewed an exhibit on the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

“The exhibit focused on whether or not the brain of the caterpillar developed during metamorphosis and I just thought that was so inspirational,” she said.

Larson’s book, “Radical Symmetry,” was published by the Yale University Press and was the recipient of other literary awards. She has been published by The Kenyon Review, The Massachusetts Review and Poetry Northwest.

Larson has a background as a molecular biologist and a field ecologist, which she said makes an impact on her poetry. “I like to bring in aspects of the geek in me into my poetry,” she said.

After reading from “Radial Symmetry,” Larson treated the audience to a new poem she had written to her husband titled “Chromatic.”

The Levis Prize Committee also recognized two other finalists: Anthony Carelli for “Carnations” and Brian Barker for “The Black Ocean.”