Young Poets Take the Stage - Review by philipGtaylor

Poets House
30april'15

In New York City this last Thursday I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Poets House’s Poem in Your Pocket Day, a day which was comprised of some volunteers handing out poems on the street to passers by, and more notably, readings from the newly published WE ARE NEW YORK CITY --- A Poetry Anthology by Lower Manhattan Students.

Reading in the Children’s Room

The three classes that came were split up into two different rooms for the reading, with one class in the Constance Liabe Hays Children’s Room, a small room without chairs for the audience, so that the children were seated on carpets in a circle in the middle of the room, with teachers and parents along the outside. This environment was much more casual, and had the feel of a classroom more than a poetry reading. Children were asked if they wanted to read, and several would shoot up their hands to be called up to the front of the room to recite. Because the children were not required to read, there were fewer poems showcased in this room than there were children, although those that chose to read did so with excitement and showmanship. At a certain point in the reading, while hosting a particularly shy class at the Children's Room, Poets House organizer Mike Romanos took the stage and read the poems for the kids. The kids became enthralled, applauding uproariously after each poem, and called out their own poems to be read by the veteran poet, who delivered the readings with the gusto of plenty stage experience, bringing the outstanding, if unpolished, words to life.

Performance in the Elizabith Kray Hall

The second room that the readings were held in was Elizabeth Kray Hall, a much larger room that cultivated the feeling of a formal reading— everyone sitting in proper chairs in neatly organized rows, quietly listening and talking softly amongst themselves between readings. The PA system was of professional quality, and the Poets House podium loomed beside the children as almost every young poet in the room read from the collection that contained their work. Because of this, we were able to experience far more of the incredible poetry of the students. Some of the texts were surprisingly striking, and it was wonderful to see these talented young folk showcased and applauded by their peers.
There were three classes that came to read at poets house, and it felt as if every group that came outlined the benefits and pitfalls of each type of reading— the formal setting began to feel more like an assembly, with the kids' rowdiness becoming more outstanding, and their nervousness at being called up row by row to perform in front of the mic becoming more pronounced. In contrast, the Children’s Room readings became more familiar and supportive as the day went on— children became excited to read their work in front of their classmates, and their confidence was exhilarating.
The readings were followed by food and drink on the patio— Pirate's Booty and juice boxes. Of course, the children were rowdy, letting off the steam that had been built up during the readings, but their excitement was delightful— with collections of their first published works in hand (beautiful-quality paperback books published by Poets House with contributions from Goldman Sachs) they spent the post-snack time reading each other's work and telling one another how much they liked the poetry.
This was an outstanding, inspiring event. Poets House did an incredible thing here today, and I hope to see more events of the same nature in more places in this country— encouraging children to love poetry is something we sorely need more of in the United States' school systems.