Hello again from Hannah and Miranda, the National Student Poets Program Manager and Assistant! We’re so happy to be back on the Art & Writing blog, getting to tell you about our fantastic teen literary ambassador program and what our poets have been up to.
Back in July, we introduced you to the National Student Poets Program and the Class of 2021. To refresh your memory, since its inaugural class of five poets was appointed in 2012, the National Student Poets Program, currently presented by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, is the nation’s highest honor for youth poets writing original work. After a rigorous application and adjudication process, five poets, each representing a different region of the United States, are selected to serve for a year as youth poetry ambassadors.
The Class of 2021 National Student Poets, publicly announced in July, are as follows:
- Midwest: RC Davis, grade 11, he/him/his, of Oak Park, IL
- Northeast: Kevin Gu, grade 11, he/him/his, of Hopkinton, MA
- Southeast: Aanika Eragam, grade 11, she/her/hers, of Alpharetta, GA
- Southwest: Kechi Mbah, grade 11, she/her/hers, of Houston, TX
- West: Sarah Fathima Mohammed, grade 10, she/her/hers, of Los Gatos, CA
We were crossing our fingers and hoping that the Class of 2021 could gather together in Washington, D.C. for an in-person Appointment Ceremony and accompanying orientation events from September 20–22. And—thanks to a modified Appointment Events schedule and tireless work by our staff and our program partners at the Institute for Museum and Library Services—we did!
This was the first in-person Appointment Ceremony since the start of the pandemic, and while virtual alternatives offered new avenues and opportunities for broadening community service, all of us were thrilled to share the same physical space with one another at last! When we said back in July that there would be tears when we could be together again, we meant it! Not only did we get a chance to spend time with the Class of 2021, but the Class of 2020 National Student Poets were also featured guests who finally met each other face to face for the first time.
Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Glenis Redmond, who has mentored each Class of National Student Poets since 2014, worked with the Class of 2021 virtually throughout August and early September to prepare them for their Appointment Ceremony on September 21, 2021.
The Class of 2020 and the Class of 2021 were both highlighted in the 2021 Appointment Ceremony, where the 19th U.S. Poet Laureate, Natasha Trethewey, was the Program’s esteemed guest speaker, joining Alliance Executive Director Chris Wisniewski and IMLS Director Crosby Kemper, who co-hosted the event. Due to pandemic restrictions, the Appointment Ceremony was closed to the public, but we’re thrilled to share it virtually with you when it premieres on October 20 at 7:00 pm ET. We hope you will join us for the premiere and enjoy Natasha Trethewey’s powerful charge to the new Class of 2021, alongside words of welcome and wisdom from the Class of 2020, and the Class of 2021’s electrifying poetry.
After a year of work that has been online only, the poets—and staff—were overjoyed to come together physically in a Covid-conscious environment, with the Class of 2020 acting as peer mentors to the incoming Class of 2021. Additionally, Maya Eashwaran (Class of 2016, Southeast) joined the post-Ceremony dinner to offer alum advice, proving that the bonds forged by the National Student Poets Program last far beyond a single year of service.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the Class of 2021 as they step into their roles as youth poetry ambassadors! In the meantime, visit our website to learn more.
Featured Image
From left to right: Chris Wisniewski, 19th U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, Kechi Mbah, RC Davis, Sarah Fathima Mohammed, Aanika Eragam, Kevin Gu, Crosby Kemper. Photo by Shannon Finney Photography.