“It’s really cool for students to be able to see that poetry is not just something that you’re working on in class,” said Bradley Baum, an English teacher here at ETHS. This will be his third year as one of the workshop leaders for Poetry Week. Originally started in 2002 by retired ETHS librarian Nancy Figel, Poetry Week at ETHS aims to deepen students’ interest in poetry. This year’s theme is “Stories in Stanzas.”
“Something nice about having a week that celebrates poetry is that it can allow students to interact with the art form in a way that is purely celebratory.”
This year’s other speakers include ETHS English teacher Toly Walker, National Youth Poet Laureate finalist Cydney Hope Brown and Northwestern University students Atarah Israel and Sydney Johnson. Chicago poet Adam Gottlieb will also be returning for his 13th year as a workshop leader. He currently works as the Curriculum Director for Olive Tree Arts Network, and was featured in the documentary “Louder Than A Bomb” while he was in Northside College Prep High School.
“I went to a workshop run by Adam Gottlieb with my English class and it was fun. I liked that we read a couple of different poems,” said Lucy La Fond, a sophomore here at ETHS. “Most of the people in my class weren’t super receptive to it, but there were a couple people who shared out.” During the workshop, students read three pieces of poetry—one was written by Gottlieb, and another by Amanda Gorman—before writing their own. At the end, students were invited to share their poems they had just written with the rest of the group.
In his workshop, Baum focuses on making creative writing less intimidating for students. “In the past years, I’ve done a lot with lists … Everybody can come up with a list of something. I think that can be a really good starting place for people who don’t feel comfortable or don’t really know where to start.” He’s also begun playing with found poetry, poems made up entirely of pieces of text and phrases taken from other written works. These can be other poems, novels, newspapers or even as simple as street signs.
Students who already write poetry in their free time find Poetry Week to be an exciting opportunity. La Fond, a member of the school’s Creative Writing Club, believes, “Poetry Week at ETHS is important because a lot of kids like to write but don’t necessarily have an outlet: someplace to share their work with like-minded people.”
Furthermore, La Fond and Baum believe that poetry has importance beyond being a form of art.
“It can change the way you view something about the world or yourself, and let you express your true thoughts in a way that prose doesn’t,” said La Fond.
Baum said, “I think one thing that I’m actually more and more focused on as an educator is hopefully helping students be more confident in themselves and in their voices, and I think poetry, and just writing creatively in general, can be a really great way to do that.”
He believes that spoken word poetry, when the writer reads their poem aloud to an audience, is particularly relevant to his goal as an educator. Additionally, Baum points out spoken word poetry’s unique ability to bring its performers together. “There’s a community element to it as well … I think a lot of poetry and spoken word spaces feel very welcoming, right? You can be in there with people that you don’t know, and people are clapping and snapping for you.”
In fact, Poetry Week at ETHS ends with an open mic event during both lunches on Friday. All students are invited to come read their poetry aloud and listen to others perform. It is an annual staple of the week, and everyone is encouraged to participate!
