Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire
Creative Writing Students Fare Well in First Ever Slam
On Wednesday, September 28, in the wee hours of the morning, three members of the Creative Writing class piled into the school van and headed down south . . . well, technically southeast. Their destination was The Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, Nebraska.
After meeting up with Boone Centralâs Creative Writing class in Albion, Seniors Connor Kinney and Danny Smith, Junior Angela Richart, and Mrs. Shoe took part in the annual Prairie Visions Writing Festival. This yearâs events were headed up by Omaha area poet Matt Mason, who visited EPS English students last year in conjunction with the Poetry Out Loud program.
Mason first visited with students about his experiences as a poet and also introduced the students to competitive poetry delivery, commonly known as a poetry slam. Following some words of wisdom from the seasoned slam veteran, participants were given some time to roam the prairie, collect their thoughts, and write.
Later that afternoon, students were encouraged to participate in a poetry slam. Of the 150 students in attendance, 43 chose to take part in the competition, including Smith and Richart. Both students represented EPS very well and received rave reviews from a crowd of admirers. Further, Smith placed 5th overall from a field boasting the largest number of participants since the event first began years ago.
The original pieces created by all students in attendance at this yearâs festival will be included in an anthology published by organizers of the event. Editions of the anthology will be sent to all participating students and their schoolâs library.
The Prairie Visions Writing Festival and Poetry Slam is an annual event organized by Friends of Homestead and the Beatrice Public Library.