Students from the Fall 2025 EN311 Creative Writing Poetry course gather after filming their final poetry performance project, “From the Heart,” at the UOG Fine Arts Auditorium on Dec. 10. (Front row, from left) Riyo Reyes, Zevvicca Oplado, Ave Borja, Ina Aldana, Sia Taisipic, Vinysha Sablan, Delsha David, Kiara Aguon, Kyeisha Camacho. (Back row, from left) Peggy Pixley, David Gugin, Jeremy Cardona, Caleb Larimer, Olivia Patterson, Ayeon Kang, and John San Nicolas.

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A new video spotlights original poetry by University of Guam students, offering a window into their creative voices.
Titled “From the Heart: Poets of Guam, Micronesia, and South Korea,” the video showcases students from the Fall 2025 EN311 Creative Writing Poetry course reading their original works. The video was recorded at the UOG Fine Arts Auditorium on Dec. 10, 2025, and published to YouTube on Dec. 16 as a final course project.

“For many, this was not only their first time writing poetry, but it was also their first time reading it on stage,” said Professor David Gugin, who taught the class. “These students made me a better teacher, a better poet. They put themselves out there, and I am proud of them.”

The EN311 course — offered through the Division of English & Applied Linguistics in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) — drew students from a wide range of majors, including anthropology,  communication, education, linguistics, literature, psychology, and theatre. Among the students was a National Student Exchange participant from South Korea, who had never written poetry before — and never in English.

“She was great and participated fully,” said Gugin. “The other students really showed her the ‘Håfa Adai’ spirit.”
A Creative and Scholarly Research grant from the CLASS Dean’s Office in April 2025 supported the project. It is the second of three planned videos.

“I hope viewers enjoy the variety of poetry and see the talent and potential of our students — wherever they come from and wherever they’re headed,” said Gugin.

The full video is available at: https://youtu.be/jGJ7sB26iwg