Celebrating the art of poetry

Celebrating+the+art+of+poetry

Niki Patel, Staff Writer

This April marks the twentieth anniversary of National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K-12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets marking poetry’s essential place in our culture and our lives every April. Various events are held throughout the month by the Academy of American Poets and other poetry organizations. The goals of National Poetry Month are to highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets, encourage the reading of poems, assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms, increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media, encourage increased publication and distribution of poetry books, and encourage support for poets and poetry.

Here at Jacksonville High School, poetry plays an important role. This year, the National English Honor Society organized a Poetry Slam on Tuesday, April 19. On this evening, students and teachers together shared meaningful poetry. All students who participated did a wonderful job. Jordan Fletcher was the first place winner. Teri Black received second place and Mackenzie Prewitt received third place. Congratulations to these winners! To brighten the evening, some of our phenomenal JHS teachers also shared their poetry. Ms. Arnold presented several haikus. Mr. Holmes performed a powerful and insightful piece of poetry. And finally, Mrs. Symons took her audience back to the ‘90s by sharing some of the poems she wrote many years ago. It was a poetic night after all! In addition to this event, several students of JHS placed in the Regional Writing Talent Search. The three students who won for poetry were Josh Hymes, Ellie Smith, and Brandon Stone. The three students who won for prose were Teri Black, Niki Patel, and Alyssa Sutheard. Congratulations to these outstanding students for their writing!

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” (Robert Frost) I personally view poetry as a practice of observing the miniscule details around us and articulating them through words. It offers people the freedom of expression and helps in bringing the inside out. Even though there are thirty days dedicated to celebrating the joy, expressiveness, and pure delight of poetry, it is relevant to celebrate the art of poetry all year round. This April, discover beauty in words!