Poem of the Week: “How She Became a Ziegfeld Girl” by Jill Peláez Baumgaertner

The VPR Poem of the Week is Jill Peláez Baumgaertner’s “How She Became a Ziegfeld Girl,” which appeared in the Fall/Winter 2001-2002 issue (Volume III, Number 1) of Valparaiso Poetry Review.

Jill Peláez Baumgaertner is the author of four collections of poetry, including Finding Cuba (Chimney Hill Press). In addition, she has edited a textbook on poetry and written a book of criticism, Flannery O’Connor: A Proper Scaring. Her poems are widely published in literary journals, and she has won numerous awards for her poetry, including the White Eagle Press’s chapbook competition award, the Rock River Poetry Prize, and the Goodman Prize in Poetry. She also received a Fulbright Fellowship to Spain. Baumgaertner is Professor of English at Wheaton College.

Tuesday of each week “One Poet’s Notes” highlights an excellent work by a poet selected from the issues of Valparaiso Poetry Review, except when other posts with news or updates preempt the usual appearance of this item, with the recommendation that readers revisit it. Please check the sidebar to view the list of poets and works that have been past “Poem of the Week” selections. Additionally, readers are reminded that VPR pages are best read with the browser font preference in which they were set, 12 pt. Times New Roman, in order to guarantee the stanza alignment and the breaks of longer lines are preserved.