All posts in Joy Young

Memories come back like a boomerang!

For Twain 5th graders fourth week of poetry, they went back to the past using their memories as time machines. We explored how to use our five senses (touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight) […]

Odes of every flavor

For our 4th week of poetry, 6th graders discovered odes. An ode is a poem that gives praise and celebrates a person, place, or object. Together we read Marcus Jackson’s poem “Ode to Kool-Aid.” […]

Letters floating in the clouds

For their 15th week of poetry O-School students explored epistolary poems, poems that can be written in the style of letters. Letter writing is no longer as popular as it was in the past, […]

5th grade sound machines

For our third week, Twain 5th graders explored sound effects in poetry. Poets often use Onomatopoeia, words that intimate sounds from everyday life to emphasis the images and actions occurring in a poem. We […]

“I am so sunny, you need sunglasses to see me”

For our third week of poetry, Twain 6th graders explored ideas about weather. They were asked the question “What type of weather describes your own personalities? We discussed how the weather and seasons can […]

“a poem like no other poet as written or rewritten before.”

I can’t believe O-School students are halfway through their 20-week poetry residency. For week 14, we revisit poems we have written together throughout our residency. We read and discussed the poem “Dear Poet,” by […]

Transformation Time

For their second session of poetry, 5th graders explored metaphors. Metaphors are direct comparisons, saying that one thing is another thing. Together we read and watched a video clip of Michael Salinger performing his […]

Welcome to the neighborhood!

For our second session of poetry this week, Twain 6th grades traveled to other places, through vivid imagery. Imagery is when a poet paints a picture inside their readers minds. What make a place […]

Unique and underrated names

O’ School students had their 13th session of poetry on Monday. This week’s theme was about names. I asked students: Why are names important? If you could choose another name for yourself, what would […]

The name that’s true to me

Last Friday was my first poetry session with Twain 6th gradera. Since it was our first time meeting each other, we discussed the importance of names. Names are part of our identities; names are […]

Donate

Support our student poets today!

CONNECT WITH US!

Twitter Facebook-f Instagram

STUDENT POETRY

Click on a school name below to browse student poems from current school partners.

POETRY ARCHIVE

Click on a school name below to browse student poems from our archive.

RECENT FACEBOOK POSTS

TESTIMONIALS

“Writing poetry makes me feel like I can see myself, like I can see my reflection, but not in a mirror, in the world. I write and I know I can be reflected.”
-Oscar S.

“Writing poetry makes me feel free.”
-Buenda D.

“Writing poetry is like your best friend.”
-Jessica M.

Search

CONTACT US

General Inquiries
info@poetrycenter.org

Programs (School & Organizational)
programs@poetrycenter.org

Reading Series and Events:
curator@poetrycenter.org

The Chicago Poetry Center is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
FEIN: 23-7400515

SEND US A POSTCARD

Chicago Poetry Center
1448 E. 52nd St, #256
Chicago, IL 60615

I’M FROM THE CITY LIGHTS / STREAMING OUT IN THE NIGHT / AND HUGE SKYSCRAPERS / TOWERING OVER THE LAKE – MELISSA E., 7TH GRADE POET