Sutton Caba-Bodie ’23
EE Managing Editor
At Trumbull High, a love for poetry from both students and teachers is evident at the annual Poetry Slam; the COLT club’s participation in the CT COLT competition and performance on World Languages Week; and our senior poetry course. However, beyond these competitions and courses, there is currently no poetry club. Nevertheless, ten students, inspired by their love for poetry, have begun meeting on their own and celebrating their passion for poetry.
The meet-ups were begun by junior Leah Cohen when she discovered just how rewarding poetry could be.
Leah reflects: “Sophomore year, I got really into poetry and I bought a small journal at Barnes & Noble and brought it with me everywhere. I was just writing poetry constantly every day”.
Soon, Leah joined the Poetry Slam, and this became a life changing experience after she partook in a community activity that made her feel seen. Encouraged by her teachers and wanting to continue that community beyond the competition, Leah reached out to other competitors in hopes of meeting up with them and furthering the community.
Quickly finding others as eager as her, Leah began organizing poetry meet-ups with the help of her peers. Currently, meetings consist of two parts: sharing their work based on a specific prompt and further exploring poetry as a medium.
After sharing their work and reflecting on it, they cover a theme or lesson, such as blackout poetry, and then attempt to use the technique in their work, performing them in the time left.
Attending a meeting myself, their passion is evident. Speaking with one of the participants, senior Sudiksha Gadiraju comments on how “it [poetry] provides me with a channel to express feelings that I wouldn’t be able to express otherwise. I love that you have choice (to be conventional, unconventional, or even both) when creating your own poems. The only rules you need to abide by are the rules you create for yourself”.
Following Leah’s experience with a community brought together by poetry, she aspires to make these meet-ups an open and fun place and an environment for like-minded individuals to be seen and appreciated for their passion. Together, the students aim to broaden their knowledge of poetry, experiment, and have fun with people who will understand their passion. They hope to attend the Poetry by the Sea Conference for Trumbull High students in the Spring.
These students encourage anyone who wants to learn more about poetry, no matter what skill level, to stop by for a meeting. They meet in B12 every other Thursday.