Meran Paul, Features Editor
If you’ve been to the duPont library lately, you’ve probably seen Sam Ertelt. He’s the friendly guy at the front desk that is always ready to help with a smile. But there’s more to Sam than just helping you check out books—he’s also a poet, creative writing student and even a fencing coach. Every day, he balances his job at the library with his dream of becoming a writer, combining his interests in order to live a more fulfilled life.
As a poet, Sam loves to creatively experiment with language and form. His interests in math and physics inspire him to push the boundaries of poetry. Last summer, he worked on pieces in his chapbook, a short and self-published collection of poetry or short fiction, and modeled them on mathematical proofs.
He also embraces more conventional forms and vivid imagery. He is inspired by unexpected sources, like a striking scene in Dominic Fike and Weezer’s music video for “Think Fast,” where the simple act of peeling and squeezing an orange becomes a powerful sensory experience.
Sam has experience navigating the world of publishing. So far, Sam has had two poems published in a 2023 issue of the literary journal About Place and another more recent piece in the inaugural issue of Notch magazine, along with winning an Artist Choice Award from Rattle.
His latest chapbook has been submitted to a chapbook competition. While he’s excited about the possibility of publication, he is also mindful of revisiting and revising some poems for future projects.
Sam grew up in Nashville and graduated from Rhodes College in 2020. When he started college, he planned to major in physics and minor in English. But in his second year, he realized that physics didn’t spark the same passion as poetry and literature. He decided to switch his major to English, focusing on creative writing and especially poetry.
He loved studying contemporary poets like Terrance Hayes and Jericho Brown and even got to meet writers like Emily Skaja, award-winning author of the poetry collection Brute. “It was just an incredible experience,” he says. Sam still kept his interest in science, earning minors in both physics and math.
Sam began his position at the library in September 2022. Soon, he also found that Sewanee’s MFA program was open to employees with a tuition benefit. Sam had always planned to pursue an MFA someday, but this made it happen sooner. The summer intensive format of the program fit well with his full-time job. He applied and got in. “It all just kind of fell into place,” he said about his application process.
Sam is currently the Access Services Coordinator at Sewanee’s library, meaning he oversees student workers and ensures everything runs smoothly at the circulation desk. Each coordinator also manages a specific library floor; Sam handles the second floor, which is home to history, music, education and periodicals.
Shortly after joining Sewanee, Sam started learning fencing. Within six months, he was teaching it, stepping in when instructor Professor Engel was on sabbatical. Although he was not initially able to offer it as a course with credit hours, he dedicated himself to training a new generation of beginners, ensuring that the sport continued at Sewanee.
Sam wants to teach poetry at a collegiate level and absolutely loves to interact with people at the University library. “It is the next best thing to teaching students about poetry,” he said. “I get to force my students at the desk to talk to me about poetry.”
He recalled an exchange that happened while helping someone check out a book.“One time,” he said, “ I may have terrified a freshman because I wear a little necklace that has a little spaceman on it holding onto the chain that he’s hanging from. I had a freshman ask if I really liked space, running on autopilot, I instinctively replied, ‘No, I love hanging on by a thread, though.’”
Sam keeps juggling his library duties, writing, and fencing with ease, always finding new ways to experiment and learn.