Giuliana Savini
Editor-in-Chief
On Apr. 25, the sixth annual Poetry Fest will be held in the Wagner Room. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will feature the performances of poetry from students of all grades. This year’s Poetry Fest was organized by English teachers Kristin Brown and Darcy Smith.
According to Ms. Smith, around 50 poets performed last year with an audience of around 80, and there are high hopes for a larger and more diverse crowd. “One of our goals is to encourage kids of all ages and all walks of life to come together to celebrate poetry,” she said.
The night will be emceed by senior Audrey Piehl, who has participated in previous Poetry Fests. “Last year was really enjoyable [and]I was extremely impressed by the quality and range of the pieces,” Audrey said. “Because you have a variety of different people sharing their poetry, you get different types of performances, which is really interesting to watch.”
When the performances are over, a panel of English teachers will give awards that highlight different aspects of poetry and performance. The main awards are Best Imagery, Best Play with Language, Best Poem, and Best Performance. Honorable mentions will be awarded in each of the four categories as well.
When deliberating about the awards, one aspect that the panel focuses on is the impact of the poetry. “When we review the poetry, we ask ourselves ‘what does this poem do, and what did it do for the audience?’” Ms. Smith said.
In past years, the unique atmosphere of Poetry Fest has helped to create an open and accepting forum for expression. “The coolest feeling in the world is seeing the same microphone shared by a freshman one minute and then by an experienced senior the other. It is an even playing field,” Ms. Smith said. At the end of the night, it is the poetry that is the greatest unifying factor. “It is the coming together of like-minded students, even though they had no idea that they were like minded.”
The event is free, and a program containing the poetry will be available.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhBNFUhzyZY
Video by NCTV
