ORANGE — The Wheeler Memorial Library has announced the third Robert P. Collen Poetry Competition in honor of the late Robert “Bob” Collen for his lifelong devotion to Orange, its libraries and poetry.
The library has received numerous submissions for the competition and all are being read and evaluated by judges Danielle Cudmor and Marcia Gagliardi. Ten finalists will be chosen by the contest judges and today at 7 p.m., the Wheeler Memorial Library will host a reading of those poems and award prizes of $100, $50 and $25 to the top three finalists. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
According to the library, Collen was born in Orange, grew up on Hayden Street and graduated from Orange High School in 1946. After high school, he left for a few years to attend college, marry his wife, and serve his country during the Korean War. Collen returned to Orange for good in 1956 to raise a family and to work at the Rodney Hunt Company, where he became vice president of personnel in 1972. He always had a strong sense of community and served on numerous committees throughout his life, most notably his 42-year tenure as a library trustee. He loved the library and believed it was an indispensable educational institution in the town. He also loved to write poetry, publishing three volumes of his work over the years. He became known as the “Millers River Poet.”
The competition is sponsored by the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries. For more information, call 978-544-7124, ext. 100, or go to www.orangelib.org.