An unexpected opportunity found me at the end of 2025.
I won a poetry competition!
🥳
The competition was organized by Get Lit Words Ignite for students and teachers in Los Angeles County. They organized and performed a musical & spoken word album about the city. Poems were written, performed, recorded, and shared. Those poems were then at the heart of the poetry competition. Students were encouraged to participate, and very surprisingly, teachers too! Ten students were selected to win prizes. And ten teachers too!
caption: the ten teachers and ten students and more . . .
I decided to sign up and submitted a poem.
In late December we heard back from the competition. I shared the news with my students and they were very happy for me.
caption: Moreno and his award
It’s pretty amazing to think that someone read something you wrote and judged it more than adequate. I’ve been blessed with a lifetime of poetry and literature on my bookshelves. Like all readers (and writers), if only I had more time to read (and write)!
Nancie Atwell, who wrote about students in the middle school grades, inspired me to root my language instruction in poetry. “It’s the dessert of the literary feast.” As I moved away from teaching English Language Arts and more towards Spanish, its role in my classrooms was reduced. But we still read, recite, memorize, and enjoy poetry. And with this award, I’m even more encouraged to continue to use it.
- – - this blog is signed by me, an award-winning poet 😉
caption: “(Trailer-) Park Chavez”