The art of poetry is one that should be celebrated! Whether each of one’s lines rhyme and keep a steady melody, rely on simply the flow of their words, or if it’s a bold free-form type of style; poetry is beautiful and helps to reveal the author’s inner thoughts and emotions. Every time a poet shares their work, they’re putting it on a plate for the world to indulge in and wonder about the meanings and/or feelings of what they just read. It can be scary, but sometimes, the nerves are worth the reward.

     Many brave Titans shared their work by entering it into a poetry contest hosted by The American Library of Poetry last spring, hoping that they had a chance of winning. And while not all did, some were certainly surprised by a new prize! Out of the millions of students who entered the competition, less than 20% had the opportunity to get their poem published in a collection of other amazing, original works by other students across the nation! Many of them having to thank Mrs. Nickles who told them about the competition to begin with, and because of her, many Titans have the ability to say that they are officially a published poet at such a young age! Plus, if they were to continue their work in poetry and writing and wish to publish their poem in a collection of their own works later on, they still retain the rights to their poem which is a marvelous detail for the competition to provide.

      Dozens of Tuscarora’s students poems are contained within this book and if you want to buy it yourself to read the bountiful amount of poetry by your friends and possibly family, then you can buy the book here. Even if you don’t know anyone that has a submission published in the collection, the poems contained within these pages can make you smile, make you cry, or leave a bittersweet feeling in your heart. They’re all unique and utterly charming in their own way- no matter the style or tone of the poem.

     Poetry is sometimes regarded as a fancy, complicated way of writing, yet, it doesn’t need to be. Poetry can be whatever you make of it; there’s a multitude of styles and even then, free-form poetry is becoming increasingly popular where the poet simply writes in the manner they wish to- no rules or rhyme. They can be about anything from complex emotions to a simple bird you spotted in a tree on the way home. The Titans whose names and poems are inked into the pages found their way with words and created works of art with them.

     All in all, congratulations Titans! You deserve it!

List of Treasured Titans:

Kitty Abell, Gabriel Alicea, Ashley Beall, Cierra Bolanos, Kristina Cooper, Kayla Feenery, Nicole Foundas, Alicia Garret, Ashley Gildersleeve, Madison Holt, Kiara Megginson, Hannah Mueller, Nisanth Ponnala, Jessica Ramcharran, Madelyn Schadly, Alyssa Shives, and, Katelyn Thompson.

If  we did miss any, please tell us and we’ll add the names to the list!