Alec Battles
Alec Battles, the son of George Battles of Parker, has taken
first place in Shimer College’s annual poetry contest.
A first semester student at the Waukegan, Ill., college, Battles
won for his poem, “Street, what do you say?”
The contest is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets of New
York and funded by Shimer College alumnus Peter Cooley, a 1962
graduate and a published poet.
Battles attended Chaparral High School in Parker and graduated
from Sherman High School in Sherman, Texas.
Though he has read poetry his whole life, Battles said he
started writing poetry when he was in 10th grade. He is a
self-taught poet; this is the first time he has shared his
poetry.
An avid reader, Battles is interested in modern European
literature. His favorite authors include Marcel Proust, Georges
Perec and Italo Calvino.
Though not yet sure what his career goals are, he is interested
in Chinese culture and plans to study in China.
Shimer College, with an enrollment of 120 students, is one of
three U.S. colleges with a curriculum based on the reading of
original source materials called the Great Books.