Librarian Molly Millay with the “Young American Poetry Digest” from 2024
Between March 18 and April 5, 2024, Fort River Elementary School students across all grades participated in a unique poetry project, giving them the opportunity to explore self-expression and creativity. The project began with an invitation from Expressive Education for Fort River to join a national poetry contest, with the chance for student work to be published in the Young American Poetry Digest. Inspired by this prospect, the Fort River community decided to make the experience accessible for all students by also creating a school-specific poetry book that would ensure each participant saw their work in print if they chose.
In addition to preparing poems for submission, students engaged with a variety of poetry styles—from haikus and acrostics to diamante and rhyming verse. Younger students used templates to guide their writing, such as sensory poems, while older students explored different formats freely. Students could choose to submit their poems for the national contest, include them in the Fort River poetry book, or keep them private. The thoughtful decision-making process encouraged students to take ownership of their work and make choices based on their comfort level.
Fort River School Poetry 2024
The experience proved to be a confidence booster for students, many of whom wrote several drafts and shared their writing with pride. Themes like nature, seasons, and family were popular, and several students expressed excitement about seeing their work in both the national and Fort River publications. “Seeing their writing in print was really meaningful,” noted FOrt River Librarian Molly Millay. “The students loved finding their own and their friends’ poems in the Fort River book.”
“Young American Poetry Digest” 2024
The Young American Poetry Digest was released in October, adding to the excitement as students shared their published poems with family and friends. At Fort River, four copies of the school poetry book were produced, with three available for checkout and one for the library. Two copies of the Young American Poetry Digest are also available at the school, with one copy in circulation and another in the library’s permanent collection.
This inspiring project has set a new standard for creative expression at Fort River, with students eager to participate again next year. Future plans include incorporating student artwork alongside the poems in the school’s poetry book, further enriching the experience of self-expression for Fort River’s young writers.