Memorial
Given for Student Emma Howell
by Ariella Cohen
Last
Saturday night, a memorial service and celebration of the life of
Oberlin student Emma Howell (1981-2001) was held at Fairchild Chapel.
Following the service friends and family walked to the Cat in the
Cream in a candlelight procession for a sharing of music, dancing,
and memories. Faculty and students organized the event.
Howell, a member of the class of 2003, died in a swimming accident
in June, just before returning home from a semester of study at
Federal University in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. In Brazil, she
had been studying print making, photography, Spanish and Portuguese,
as well as African and belly dance. Emma loved to dance and had
begun her study of belly dance in an ExCo class. She had also studied
African dance with professor Adinike Sharpley and taken contact
at Oberlin. She was a double major in creative writing and comparative
literature. Howell also took classes in the African American studies
department, finding an important connection between learning African
dances and studying African American culture.
Earlier in the day tribute was paid to Howell through a poetry reading
where friends, classmates, professors and family members read several
of Howells works.
A skilled and mature poet, Howell had published several works in
literary magazines before even coming to Oberlin. In speaking of
Howell, friends and teachers identify her a poet of great passion
who related to the world through words.
It was beautiful to have her poetry live that way: that is
the thing about poetry, you can trace thoughts through it. As opposed
to people who dont write, she left behind parts of herself,
Howells close friend, junior Rachael Sarto said.
At Saturdays gathering CreativeWriting professor Martha Collins
spoke about Howells ineffable sense of knowing, even before
it was quite clear to her, that something would become a poem. Collins
and others hope that more of her poems may be published in the future.
A poetry prize recognizing Oberlin students has been established
in Howells Honor. Donations for the fund will be accepted
in a box outside the Creative Writing Office or can be delivered
to the Development Office in Bosworth 102. Checks should be made
out to Oberlin College with a note indicating that the contribution
is for the Emma Howell Poetry Prize Fund.
|