Poet shares her experience with her PV students

by Ryan Witkowski

Mary Rogers-Grantham, an English instructor at MCC-Penn Valley, can add another accolade to her resume. Rogers-Grantham has recently had her poem “You Crashed My Innocence” published by Rougarou, an online literary journal.

This is not the first time Rogers-Grantham has been published. Her poetry has been featured in the Kansas City Star, Present magazine, And/Or, and Kansas City Voices. She has self-published two poetry compilations titled “It’s Okay: Poetic Memoirs” and “Clear Velvet,” and currently is working on a third titled “Under a White Moon.”

Students in Rogers-Grantham’s English 80 class are excited about their instructor’s success, and say that having a published author as an instructor has its advantages. Brandon Evans, a student of Rogers-Grantham, said that her experience is a valuable asset.
“She teaches you how to do something she does,” said Evans. “That’s a real advantage. She teaches from experience.”

Rogers-Grantham takes a personal approach to writing. “Like a quiet spring morning after a stormy night, writing brings hope to our daybreaks,” she said.

Through poetry, Rogers-Grantham touches on a variety of topics, drawing from personal experience and current issues. The ability of the reader to relate to the topic, student Larry Zewalk said, is an appealing part of Rogers-Grantham’s poetry.

“I really like what she’s talking about and how she presents it,” said Zewalk. “It makes you think. You put yourself into the poem.”
Student Shirley Taylor says that Rogers-Grantham helps make learning fun, and that helps her students succeed. “She makes it interesting,” Taylor said. “She’s what the young people call ‘cool.’”