Mass Poetry: Student Day of Poetry

After last year's Student Day of Poetry, I didn't think it could get any bigger or better. But this past Friday, 750 high schoolers descended upon MIT for a day of poetry, workshops, spoken word, performance, and collaboration. It was fantastic! Students and their teachers from as far away as the Berkshires, the Cape, Western Mass, and the North Shore came in buses--leaving as early as 5 a.m.--to spend the day in Cambridge. For Poetry!

Under the leadership of Amanda Torres, the day couldn't have gone smoother, with performances by a diverse array of poets and artists. But the students were the story. Hearing their words, listening to them pour their hearts into their rhymes on stage and within their groups--amazing! Across the board, the workshop leaders said the energy in their classrooms was much better this year than last. 

The day kicked off a weekend of Louder than a Bomb competitions in Boston. Really, it was a great, great way to kick off National Poetry Month in Massachusetts.

When you hear kids getting on their busses talking about the poems they've got to write, you know their lives have been changed.

Congrats Amanda!

Enzo Surin leading a workshop.

Michael Ansara, Beth More, and Amanda Torres speaking with a student.