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In June 2021, I sent out a call for submissions to one of the projects I created as part of a Poet Laureate Fellowship I received from the Academy of American Poets (with support from the Mellon Foundation)..
I asked young poets in Virginia to show, through their poems, what matters most to them in our world today. In addition, young poets were invited to submit a proposal for a public poetry project, highlighting poetry’s role in strengthening social engagement and emotional well-being. Young Poets in the Community will complete their projects between 1 December 2021 and 30 June 2022. Applications were invited from young poets throughout Virginia. Alongside a selection committee from the Poetry Society of Virginia (poets Edmund Dowe, Kindra McDonald, Cathy Hailey, and Steven Bucher ~ Thank you!), I read and reviewed each application. We had hoped to choose 5 Young Poets from each of the 6 Poetry Society of Virginia Regions, for a total of 30 Virginia Young Poets in the Community. However, because submission numbers varied so greatly from region to region, the selection committee chose deserving poets (who met all the requirements) from at large. Young Poets were selected for the quality and resonance of their poems; and for the originality and relevance of their public poetry projects, specifically showing poetry’s role as a tool for social change, community/civic engagement, and emotional well-being. Each selected Young Poet in the Community will receive a certificate and a cash award; and will work closely with a teacher/mentor from their school or a specifically identified community member, to carry out their proposed poetry project before the end of the 2021-22 school year. The mentor may be a teacher, a relative, a friend, a local artist or writer, or someone who is respected in the students’ community. Young Poets in the Community may also be invited to participate in virtual conversation/reading programs with the Virginia Poet Laureate to highlight their winning project proposals and contribute to their growth as young poets. PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING THE 2021 VIRGINIA YOUNG POETS IN THE COMMUNITY ~ and keep an eye out for additional press releases in the coming weeks. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CATEGORY CENTRAL REGION Jaiden Isaiah Brown, Chester VA 10 years old, 5th Grade, C.E. Curtis Elementary School Mentor: LaToya W. Brown, School Counselor, Henrico County Public Schools SOUTHEASTERN REGION David Babbick, Virginia Beach, VA 3rd grade, Homeschooled Mentor: Lydia Netzer, ODU Instructor, Norfolk Academic Guild Literature teacher, Workshop teacher at the Muse Writers Center NORTHERN REGION Emily Nguyen, Annandale, VA 5th grade, Camelot Elementary School Mentor: Christine Vickers, Librarian, Camelot Elementary School MIDDLE SCHOOL CATEGORY CENTRAL REGION Key’Niyah Clemons, Richmond VA 8th grade, Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal Shool Mentor: Elizabeth Johnson, owner of Elizabeth C. Johnson, LLC Abigail Willis, Mosely VA 8th grade, Tomahawk Creek middle Shool Mentor: Lisa Emery, Writing Workshop Teacher, Tomahawk Creek Middle School NORTHERN REGION Elaine Zhang, Falls Church VA 11 years old, 6th grade, Haycock Elementary School Mentor: Long Chen, mother NORTH CENTRAL/NORTHWEST REGION Zoe Lee, Fredericksburg, VA 7th grade, Edward Drew Middle School Mentor: George Lee, father HIGH SCHOOL CATEGORY CENTRAL REGION Renee Anderson, Chester, VA 11th grade, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School Mentor: Gail Giewont, Teacher, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School Shannie Porter, Charlottesville, VA 12th grade, Albemarle High School Mentor: Charlotte Wood, Creative Writing Teacher, Albemarle High School SOUTHEASTERN REGION Yayra McGodfred, Virginia Beach, VA 12th grade, Green Run Collegiate High School Mentor: Simone Agbodian, mother Leia Morissey, Norfolk, VA 12th grade, Granby High School Mentor: Edmund Dowe, Granby High School English Teacher Areen Syed, Norfolk, VA 10th grade, Norfolk Academy Mentor: Teresa Stanley, Coordinator of Interspiritual Empowerment Project EASTERN REGION Yunseo Chung, Yorktown, VA 12th grade, Grafton High School Mentor: Deirdre Love, Executive Director, Teens With a Purpose NORTH CENTRAL/NORTHWEST REGION Adaevia Jones, Stafford, VA 11th grade, Colonial Forge High School Mentor: Mrs. Susan Easter, High School teacher Stephanie Gomez, Broad Run, VA 12th grade, Fauquier County Virtual Academy Mentor: Steven Bucher, English Teacher, Fauquier County Virtual Academy NORTHERN REGION Charlotte Maleski, Arlington, VA 11th grade, Washington Liberty High School Mentor: Chelsea Iorlano, Director/Coordinator of 2020 DC Youth Slam Team Kashvi Ramani, Ashburn, VA 10th grade, Rock Ridge High School and the Academies of Loudoun Mentor: Roscoe Burnems, Poet Laureate of Richmond, Virginia WESTERN REGION Leah Gunn, Bristol, VA 9th grade, Virginia High School Mentor: Brad Hutchinson, Creative Writing Teacher, Virginia High School UNDERGRADUATE/COLLEGE CATEGORY SOUTHEASTERN REGION Aderonke Adelenke, Chesapeake, VA Sophomore, Old Dominion University Mentor: Heather Weddington, Creative Writing professor Shawna Alston, Norfolk, VA Freshman, College of William and Mary Mentor: Edmund Dowe, former AP Literature Teacher, Granby High School NORTHERN REGION Virginia Kane, Alexandria, VA Senior, Kenyon College Mentor: Dr. Orchid Tierney, Assistant Professor of English, Kenyon College Hailey Lanford, Arlington, VA Undergraduate Senior, George Washington University Mentor: Thea Brown, Professor of English, George Washington University Molly Rufus, Alexandria, VA art organization employee and audio engineering student Mentor: KaNikki Jakarta, Poet Laureate of Alexandria, VA Mariah Salazar-Solórzano, Alexandra, VA Sophomore, Northern Virginia Community College Mentor: Nicole Tong, Professor of English, Northern Virginia Community College and Poet Laureate of Fairfax County
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