Snapping and applause echoed through the walls of the library as students gathered around for a night of personal stories and creative expression. The event transformed the usually quiet study space into a vibrant stage where students got to share their voices.
Hosted by the Poetry Club on April 30th, the 31st annual Poetry Fest brought together student performers, local poet laureates, and members of the community, including Refractions and Turtle Books, in the high school library. While the night celebrated poetry, organizers hoped that the night would encourage students to see poetry as something meaningful.
Having participated in poetry fest since her freshman year, senior Shanti Appavoo, a host of the event and member of the Poetry Club, has watched the event grow and change.
“It’s always a great turnout,” Appavoo said. “It’s nice because it’s a bit of a different crowd than [the one that] usually comes to our events, so we get more of the general, broader school population, which is a lot of fun.”
Over the years, Poetry Fest has been held in many different locations; this year, it landed in the library, a setting Appavoo believes helps strengthen the event’s connections to students.
“Poetry Fest has gone through a bunch of iterations, but I really like it being in the library. It’s intimate, and I like that it’s at BHS. [It] makes it very much our identity,” Appavoo said.
One of the event’s goals was to challenge the stereotypes that often come with poetry. Junior Finn Friedman, who describes himself as a longtime fan of rhymes and limerciks, hopes students will approach poetry with an open mind.
“I think that more people should know that it’s not really that stupid, and it’s fun, and maybe people will learn that they actually like poetry,” Friedman said.
Friedman also said that Poetry Fest gave him a chance to make his high school experience more enjoyable, while bringing students together in a shared creative space.
“I am always searching for something to make me enjoy my time here, and this is pretty cool,” Friedman said. “It’s pretty fun, and I like having a whole bunch of people come to an event.”
Sophomore Emma Mickelson, who performed a personal poem, said that Poetry Fest also highlights the importance of creativity for students who are balancing the pressure of academics and sports.
“Especially at BHS, we’re so stressed, and we’re so pressured to do well at our athletics, to do well academically, and I think it’s important to have a creative outlet,” Mickelson said. “I know that writing poetry and performing poetry can be really emotionally relieving to some people.”
Mickelson said she hopes Poetry Fest not only showcases students’ creativity, but also helps audience members be more understanding of the courage it takes to share deep, personal stories in front of others.
“I hope that people can have more empathy towards people who put themselves out there and are vulnerable,” Mickelson said. “I also hope that someone from Poetry [Fest] might see me in the hallway and just be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the girl that shared that really good poem and put herself out there.’”
