WEB EXCLUSIVE Poet and author Rowan Ricardo Phillips spoke to Convent & Stuart Hall students and faculty today about his writing career and experience as a sports journalist.

“My main focus in the talk was to discuss and think about the importance of words and how words can create a bridge to human understanding,” Phillips said.

Phillips led talks during B Period specifically for journalism students and during C Period for juniors in Higher Level International Baccalaureate English. He also joined Bob Myers, president of operations for the Golden State Warriors, in a question panel led by junior Arianna Nassiri and senior Trevor Blanc during a coed high school assembly.

“My favorite thing about the assembly was the interdisciplinarity of the author’s work,” librarian Alyson Barrett said. “It reflected the ways that literature, sports, art and music can enrich one another.”

In the talk during B Period, Phillips discussed how to compose strong pieces of writing, tips on how to be an editor, and the evolution of journalism.

“I really liked his talk because he gave us an insight on how to go about being a good journalist,” freshman Adele Fratesi said. “After listening to him, I feel like I have a better understanding on how to approach a journalistic piece of writing.”

In C Period, Phillips had a conversation with students about writing while answering some of their questions. He also read his poem “Violins” and analyzed the language and symbolism.

“I think it gave us confidence to take risks in our writing careers,” junior Ryann Minnis said. “Poets are lyrical people and whatever they say can captivate you.”