All posts in Hyde Park

Hyde Park Is Sticking Together

This past Thursday was bittersweet, as it marked the final session of Hyde Park’s 2025 poetry club. The poets were presented with a chapbook, full of their favorite poems written over the year. The […]

America’s Nation

During our most recent workshop, Hyde Park began our session by attempting to fill in a map of the United States. This sparked a discussion about what it means to be part of a […]

Exquisite Corpses

One of my favorite forms of poetry is the exquisite corpse (beautiful body) — a poem written by multiple poets, often without knowing what the previous poets have written. Last week, Hyde Park wrote […]

The Lasagna of Life

This week was all about similes as entrances to extended metaphors, specifically about life. Reading Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” inspired a conversation about struggle, growth, and change. These poets then used the extended […]

I Remember & Remember & Remember

One of my favorite works to teach is Joe Brainard’s 1975 book I Remember. It is a book of poetry exclusively made up of memories, personal and cultural, each beginning with “I Remember.” This […]

“I touch the mighty and the weak”

One of my favorite poetry books is Patricia Smith’s Blood Dazzler, which reflects on and embodies the horrors of Hurricane Katrina. In our most recent session at Hyde Park, the poetry club learned about […]

Hyde Park Is Calling

This week at Hyde Park we discussed calls to action and what it means to push for changes large and small. These young men brought their grievances and visions to the table, confronting everything […]

Retellings – Triumph & Magic

Two weeks ago, before illness took this poet away from the 4th floor of Hyde Park High School, we all sat around a table in Ms. Gholston’s art room and discussed magic. How would […]

“Black so cool it must be golden”

Black History Month is a time for celebration and reflection, and this past Thursday, Hyde Park High’s poets celebrated their own Blackness. Called on by Gwendolyn Brooks’ “Primer for Blacks,” the poets took to […]

“I am a force, a legend, an echo”

This week, Hyde Park’s poets discussed big egos and big statements. Using Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Ego Tripping,” we explored the power of hyperbole and what it means to overcome and bet on yourself. These […]

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