Third-Year UC English Major Publishes Poetry Aimed At Millennials

Sam Mangold-Lenett, a third-year English major at the University of Cincinnati, grew up in and around the Clifton campus. As his father studied for his PhD in engineering, Mangold-Lenett went exploring.

But it wasn’t until he enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences that Mangold-Lenett pursued publishing his own writing. His new book of poetry, The Anxiety of a Millennial, explores the impact of smart technology on the brain chemistry of young people immersed – like it or not – in the digital world. 

“We are in a unique situation,” he said. The invasion of technology into every aspect of millennials’ lives can lead to anxiety and even depression, he said. The constant quest for immediate gratification can also lead to frustration and angst.

In his book of poetry, which has an introduction penned by former UC President Santa Ono, Mangold-Lenett shares his feelings openly and honestly. His passion for writing led him to express those feelings through poetry.

His love for English took shape while he was in high school in the Sycamore school district. In fact, one of his high school English teachers inspired him to pursue a college degree in literature.

“She could push me to expand upon my thoughts with what I was writing,” Mangold-Lenett said.  “She taught me how to critically think when it came to literature.”

Once he decided to publish his poetry collection, he set out to learn as much as he could about the publishing industry. He said it was important for him to keep the copyright to his poems, so he worked with a publisher in Pennsylvania that allowed him to do just that. 

He hopes that his book will resonate with other millennials. 

He believes that not only can millennials resonate with the poems in his book, but Cincinnatians can resonate with the forward which was written by Ono. 

 “I didn’t try to target certain people with different poems but I think our demographic, millennials, most would resonate more with it because it is the in the spotlight of our society,” said Mangold-Lenett.

Mangold-Lenett is grateful for the support that he has received from the English department while working on his book. His professors have taught him to get rid of his natural perspective and try to get him to be as open-minded as possible when determining reality. His one advice for students who are interesting in pursuing a major in English is to make sure that you are pursuing it because you love it.  

“I know people in the department who have done it just because they just liked reading and ended up burning out, changing their major, and haven’t really been able to reconnect with the field of studies,” said Mangold-Lenett.  “So if you’re interested in studying English make sure that it is not just open but make sure that it is actually something that you may be passionate about.”