Every April, the English department hosts our annual Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry competition, endowed by the poet herself after she visited as the Symposium author back in 1994. Mr. Kraus, at that time an English teacher, was responsible for bringing Gwendolyn Brooks – the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry – to KO’s campus. After Ms. Brooks’ Thursday night dinner with the students, she was so energized by their conversation that she stayed up all night reading their creative and analytical writing. Because she was so impressed with our students, she personally endowed an annual poetry contest after her two-day visit to campus.
Each year, a cash prize is awarded to three Upper School and three Middle School students whose poems are chosen as the best submissions to the contest.
Upper School Winners: Juanita Asapokhai, Regina Miller, and Mary Ellen Carroll
“first may then june” by Juanita Asapokhai
because my father’s sister died I have spent a couple compulsory hours visiting grief in its house with its door that always opens but is sticky for me…
“The Funeral for Childhood” by Regina Miller
The funeral that came too early Was one we all had In the silence of our bedrooms At night Staring at the stars Glowing warm on our ceilings And clutching our dear animals close…
“2001-2015” by Mary Ellen Carroll
we dreamed of apple trees and fresh spring moss, the kisses from the spruce boughs. stuffing our pockets with berries. the bitterness of dandelion milk…
Middle School Winners: Maya Gerrits, Supriya Chaterjee, and Chelsea O’Donnell
“Grow” by Maya Gerrits
a line is, is just a line until it becomes a rainbow a piece, is just a piece until it becomes a puzzle…
“a simple weapon” by Chelsea O’Donnell
words what are they really? letters? lines? sounds with meaning?…