Catherine Chiocchi
Arts Editor
Poets read their poems in the front of the room, sitting on a stool and speaking into a microphone. Programs were provided that contained every poem’s text, so audience members could follow along from their seats during each performance. There was also coffee provided by Zumbach’s Gourmet Cofffee. “The event was previously called ‘Coffee House’ because we were trying to encourage people to come and sing, but no one did,” Ms. Smith said.“We decided to advertise it for what it really is — a poetry festival.”
Seniors Charlotte Fager, Patricia Kelly, and Zach Pelli served as emcees and introduced each poet before their reading. “I wanted to be involved in Poetry Fest but I hadn’t written anything, so I spoke to Ms. Smith, my Creative Writing teacher, and agreed to emcee,” Patricia said. “I was blown away by the performers. I didn’t expect so much from high school students. It was incredible.”
According to Ms. Brown, participation was fueled by English teachers, who encouraged students to submit their poetry for the festival. “April is National Poetry Month, so we’ve been reading poems on the morning announcements every day to get poetry in the minds of students,” Ms. Brown said. “It also served as subliminal advertising for Poetry Fest.”
Poems varied in topic and format, ranging from a poem about grapefruit to a love sonnet inspired by the works of Pablo Neruda. Sophomore Jordan Siegel read a poem about his trip to Rome with the band, entitled “I’m on a Bus (I’m on a Boat parody).”
“My poem is kind of out there,” Jordan said. “It’s not a metaphorical poem with lots of images, and it’s not sad or emotional. Ms. Smith encouraged me to submit it because she thought it would add a different dimension to the Poetry Fest.”
Junior Ben Charas read his poem “The Melting Pot,” which won the highest regional level award, a Gold Key for the Scholastic Arts and Writing Award. “I wrote the poem last summer while I was living at Columbia for their Creative Writing Summer Program,” Ben said. “I wrote it while looking out my dorm window onto Broadway on a rainy evening. It was originally meant to be about the juxtaposition of the population density of New York City and the isolation one can feel. In a small town, you know almost everyone, but in a big city, which has ten or one hundred times as many people, you barely know anyone and can feel lonely.”
At the end of the evening, awards were given out by Ms. Smith’s son and West School first grader, Aidan Smith. The judges were Ms. Smith, Ms. Brown, and English Department Chair Heidi D’Acosta. Best Poem was won by senior Zach Pelli for “The Mural” and Honorable Mentions were given to freshman Liz Brissie for “Sweet Child of Mine” and senior Elayne Stecher for “Elephants Never Forget.” Best Performance was won by senior Shamiel Gonzalez for “An Unforgettable Love” and Honorable Mentions were given to sophomore Tyler Giggi for “A Confession at the Diner” and senior William Frick for “To the Youthful Poet.” Best Imagery was won by Ben Charas for “The Melting Pot” and Honorable Mention was given to freshman Guiliana Savini for “Clarity.”
“Truthfully, Ms. Brown and I have discussed not having trophies because it’s so difficult to choose superlatives as each poem has its own merits,” Ms. Smith said. “It’s the most challenging part of the evening for me and the other English teachers.”
Ms. Brown expects to see next year’s Poetry Fest build on the success of this year’s. “We hope students will come back next year. We’d love to see repeat performers and also some new performers. Hopefully, Poetry Fest will become a regular event at the high school,” she said.
Photos by Catherine Chiocchi
