OCTC Announces Fall 2025 Common Reading Events Featuring Poet James Crews

Keynote presentation and writing workshop scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 30

by Katie Powers

Owensboro, KY (09/01/2025) — Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) is pleased to announce the Fall 2025 Common Reading program and an exciting lineup of related events. This semester's focus is The Wonder of Small Things, an anthology edited by poet James Crews.

Main Events with James Crews

OCTC will welcome James Crews to campus on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 for a keynote presentation, Finding Kindness, Connection, and Joy in Daily Life, at 9:30 a.m. in Blandford Lecture Hall, located in the Humanities Building on OCTC's Main Campus. Later that day, Crews will also lead a writing workshop, Writing for Wonder & Renewal, at 12:30 p.m. in Blandford Lecture Hall. Both events are free and open to students, faculty, staff, and the community.

"OCTC's Common Reading program is about more than just a book-it's about building connections and sparking meaningful conversations," said Kaye Brown, Professor of English and Co-Chair of the OCTC Common Reading Committee. "James Crews's work invites us to pause, notice the beauty in everyday life, and discover the power of poetry to bring us together."

About James Crews

James Crews is the editor of several bestselling anthologies, including The Path to Kindness: Poems of Connection and Joy and How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope, which has sold more than 100,000 copies. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, The Christian Science Monitor, and on NPR's Morning Edition. Crews is the author of four prize-winning books of poetry-The Book of What Stays, Telling My Father, Bluebird, and Every Waking Moment-as well as a book of essays, Kindness Will Save the World: Stories of Compassion and Connection. He speaks and leads workshops on kindness, mindfulness, and writing for self-compassion, and lives with his husband on forty acres in the woods of Southern Vermont.

To learn more about James Crews and his books, visit https://www.jamescrews.net.

"Over the years, OCTC's nationall recognized Common Reading program has provided an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and community members to come together and share ideas and be inspired," said Dr. Scott Williams, OCTC President. "We stay committed to inspiring our students and community, and we take pride in our Common Reading program."

Other Fall 2025 Common Reading Events

Tuesday, Sept. 2: How to Read Poetry presentation with OCTC Professor Tonya Northenor. Sessions at 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., ATC 107 (OCTC Main Campus). Designed to help readers at all levels feel more comfortable engaging with poetry.
Friday, Sept. 26: Humanities Cabaret Night, 7-9 p.m. in The Acorn Theatre, Humanities Building (OCTC Main Campus). A poetry-themed evening where participants are invited to share original works or favorite poems.
OCTC Book Club: A student-led book club focusing on poetry this semester, beginning with the Common Reading selection. Meetings will be held at 3:00 p.m. in the Lakeside Corner of the OCTC Main Campus Library (LRE) on the following dates: Thursday, Sept. 11; Thursday, Sept. 25; Thursday, Oct. 9; Thursday, Nov. 13. Everyone is welcome to join.
Monday, Oct. 20: Gardening and Poetry presentation with OCTC Adult Education Instructor Alitta Leachman and English Professor Gary Crump, 12:30 p.m., ATC 107 (OCTC Main Campus).

For more information about the Common Reading program, please contact Tonya Northenor at tonya.northenor@kctcs.edu. You can also visit our website to learn more about the program and associated events which are open to the public; please visit https://owensboro.kctcs.edu/about/student-life/common-reading/index.aspx.

Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

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