Giving Voice to Glass

Standing among the Dale Chihuly glass sculptures at the New York Botanical Garden, Harlem Academy seventh grader Adonis Beckford approaches the podium and recites his poem, “Sapphire Star.” He and three other Harlem Academy students had been selected as winners of a poetry competition pairing young voices with the artist’s glass installations in one of New York’s showcase summer exhibits.

Acclaimed poet and National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson had over 150 submissions to read and evaluate. Each entry was presented with no identifying information so the poems would be judged on merit alone.

“Harlem Academy was the only school to have multiple winners,” said Victoria Lewis of NYBG. “We were blown away by the level of sophistication of these poems. Their words have a raw energy that captured the bright colors and unique forms of these glass creations.”

These students’ achievement grows from the critical role that writing poetry plays in Harlem Academy’s academic program.  Through a partnership each year with the Poetry Society of America (PSA), five professional poets visit the school repeatedly over a six-week period, working with all middle school students on drafting, revising, and performing original poems.