In celebration of The Bertrand Library’s 75th anniversary, the Bertrand 75 Commission, in collaboration with the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts, held a poetry contest!
The contest, held during the spring 2026 semester, asked current Bucknell students to submit a poem evoking, addressing, celebrating or otherwise exploring the experience of reading and/or learning, especially in relation to Bertrand Library or libraries in general.
We are proud to announce that the winning poem is “shelved together,” by Kaylin Reynolds ’27. Reynolds received a $500 prize and will be honored along with the poem as part of Bertrand Library’s 75th anniversary celebration.
shelved together
by Kaylin Reynolds ’27
according to a 2022 article–
and anyone who has studied here–
bucknell has a high marriage rate:
65.4 percent
find their spouse here
i married myself to bertrand,
exchanging vows with borrowed books, staring
down at dog-eared pages
remembered by theory, anthologies, memoirs, with–
dusty paper, soft palms, words sounding like scripture
to those looking for love,
the map room on lower level one
is perfect matchmaking machinery; she
points out countries on the map
and i try to remember their names
writing a story of our own
with fingers in tune scanning spines of novels, computer keys clicking, finding:
love cannot be footnoted
i checked her out
with my books for class
forever archived: shelved together
About the Author
Kaylin Reynolds ’27 is a poet honoring her late father through vulnerable, honest writing. Her work explores queerness, grief, romance, and relationships, often examining their intersections. She believes poetry should remain grounded in the human experience and accessible to those who need it.
