John Carroll University Professor Wins National Poetry Award

John Carroll University proudly celebrates Dr. Philip Metres, Professor of English and Director of Peace, Justice, and Human Rights (PJHR), for earning the prestigious 2025 William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. His latest book, Fugitive/Refuge, was selected by acclaimed poet David Baker as the year's most outstanding collection of poetry published by a small press, non-profit, or university press.

"It's deeply gratifying to know that my book was chosen among all the other books of poetry published in the year," Dr. Metres shared. "That David Baker chose my book makes me feel so valued-that my work is worthy of being elevated for sharing. It offers the possibility of wider readership, which is what every writer wants."

Rooted in Dr. Metres' own family history and inspired by the global migrant crisis, Fugitive/Refuge explores the themes of displacement, identity, and belonging.

"My family fled Lebanon and were refugees," he explained. "I wanted to link my story to the wider narrative about human migration and the quest for home."

Bringing Storytelling and Community into the Classroom

As a faculty member at JCU and the recipient of numerous awards for his twelve books, Dr. Metres brings his writing expertise into the classroom, fostering a learning environment that is reflective, trusting, and deeply human.

"For me, writing poetry helped me understand myself and the world more deeply. I try to create an environment where students can explore their lives and the world as if they were texts that were meant to be understood. I want to create a classroom environment that's closer to a community than a class."

In his English and PJHR courses, he encourages students to approach complex global issues not only through academic analysis but also through empathy, storytelling, and creative expression.

"The arts are an underappreciated way to humanize ourselves and perspectives different from our own. Arts embody human experience in a way that helps us strip away stereotypes and othering and reveals our core commonalities as human beings."

Advice for Aspiring Writers and Activists

Dr. Metres encourages students to embrace creative writing not only as a craft but as a path to self-discovery and social engagement.

"The arts invite us to play and explore with what we don't entirely know or understand, including ourselves. Whatever the art form is, it offers you a space to become more human and understand what you couldn't understand intellectually before or have compassion for something you didn't have before."

His hope for young writers?

"That they experience hopeful connection and joyful discovery and that they feel more like themselves through the end of the process."