EDWARDSVILLE - For Edwardsville High School English teacher Kirk Schlueter, a lifelong love of writing has led to a professional accomplishment: the publication of his poetry collection, The Resurrection of the Body.
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Released this month by the University of Tampa Press, the collection won the Richard Mathews Poetry Prize.
For Schlueter, the recognition is meaningful not only because it led to the publication of his book, but because of the university where it was published.
His uncle, Ray Schlueter, was a biology professor at the University of Tampa for decades and knew Richard Mathews, the poet and professor for whom the award is named.
"To have my work not only be recognized but recognized by a place that I have such a connection to, is as rewarding as I can imagine," Schlueter said.
Schlueter has loved writing throughout his life, but it was during college that he became serious about poetry.
"I've loved writing my entire life (shoutout former EHS English teachers Christine Head and Diane Mercer!) but it wasn't until college that I got serious about writing poetry," he said.
Poetry became the centerpiece of his undergraduate senior thesis, and he later attended graduate school specifically to study and write poetry.
"I think I've just always been drawn to the arts and the creative process, and poetry is where I'm the most fulfilled for that spark," Schlueter said.
Schlueter's passion for poetry extends beyond his own writing. As an English teacher, he believes his experience as a poet has helped him better understand literature and explain how it works to his students.
"I think being a poet has made me a better English teacher. I feel that I can really understand a literary work and how it's operating in a way that I wouldn't if I were just a civilian," Schlueter said. "Hopefully it's made me better at explaining how they work as well."
One of his goals as an educator is to help students discover the same love of the arts that he has found through his own creative work.
"One of my goals is always to try and cultivate the same love of the arts that I have in my students," he said.
Now, with the publication of The Resurrection of the Body, Schlueter is continuing his own creative journey while sharing his passion for the written word with the next generation of students.
His book is available through the University of Tampa Press at The Resurrection of the Body.
