Business Courier: UC grad says poetry can help people cope
Cincinnati poet laureate Manuel Iris says people need poetry more than ever in pandemic
University of Cincinnati graduate Manuel Iris says people can turn to poetry to cope with the stresses of COVID-19, quarantines and the uncertain times.
Iris spoke to The Business Courier about the role poetry can play in a crisis. In the profile, Iris
"This is the moment for the arts," he told The Courier. "Our souls need to be fed."
Iris is Cincinnati's poet laureate and a graduate of UC's College of Art and Sciences, where he earned a doctorate in Romance Languages and Literature. He grew up in Mexico where he fostered an appreciation for creative writing. He teaches writing and literature at DePaul Cristo Rey High School near UC's campus and coaches a poetry slam team.
Featured image at top: UC graduate Manuel Iris gives a poetry reading at the Cincinnati Mercantile Library. Photo/Melanie Schefft
UC graduate Manuel Iris, right, talks at a reception at the Cincinnati Mercantile Library. He says poetry can help people cope with stress. Photo/Melanie Schefft
Related Stories
Parakeet males, females equally likely to fight
September 14, 2026
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and Duke University studied captive monk parakeets and found that sex has little effect on who starts fights, who is targeted or who rises in the dominance hierarchy, as reported in Integrative & Comparative Biology.
UC researchers seek to combat youth weight gain from bipolar medication
September 14, 2026
Cleveland.com highlighted a University of Cincinnati initiative approved for funding by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to expand the implementation of healthy lifestyle interventions and metformin prescription to help manage weight gain in overweight or obese youth taking second-generation antipsychotic medications.
UC part of $18 million statewide initiative to expand behavioral health workforce
September 14, 2026
The University of Cincinnati is part of Ohio’s $18 million Behavioral Health Scholarship Program, offering full in-state tuition to eligible social work, mental health counseling and clinical psychology graduate students who commit to serving underserved Ohio communities after graduation.