Erica Rosenthal’s Poem Red to Appear in Phi Theta Kappa Literary Journal

The Brick resident’s poem reflects on the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting in Florida

Erica Rosenthal’s (Brick, NJ) poem, Red, will appear in Nota Bene, the online literary journal of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) , the leading national honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students. She and two other Brookdale students are among 25 PTK students internationally whose essays, research papers, short stories and poems will be published.

A creative writing major, Rosenthal will graduate from Brookdale in spring 2019 and plans to enroll at Arcadia University to continue her studies in creative writing.

Red was inspired by a recent major tragedy, the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018. Seventeen students and staff members lost their lives that day in our nation’s deadliest high school shooting.

“The experiences of the students who witnessed the attack and those who died impacted me,” said Rosenthal. “I wanted to create something about that day and the subsequent movement it inspired.”

Rosenthal said getting her work published was a dream come true. She credits Phi Theta Kappa for instilling confidence and changing her life.

“Having my poem included in Nota Bene is such an accomplishment, and it has encouraged me to send my works to a publisher,” said Rosenthal.

Phi Theta Kappa recognizes the academic achievement of students and helps them to grow as scholars and leaders. It consists of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations.