Student Voice Amplified at Fourth Annual Atlanta Public Schools Poetry Slam 

April is National Poetry Month, and the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) Library Media Services gave students an opportunity to perform their own original poems at the fourth annual APS Poetry Slam at Frederick Douglass High School.

This year’s Poetry Slam featured middle school and high school poets from Benjamin E. Mays High School, South Atlanta High School, Maynard Jackson High School, Crawford Long Middle School, Howard Middle School, and Young Middle School.

Students crafted their poems and uploaded them to Paper, an online resource that reviews student writings to assist them with edits and checks for originality.

“This was just a great opportunity for our students to share their voices, learn from each other, support and encourage each other,” APS director of Library Media Services Jennifer Saunders said. “We wanted to ensure that our students were aware of National Poetry Month, and had an opportunity to share their talents and their voices through poetry.”

The students’ poems covered a plethora of topics, including social expectations, relationships, civil rights issues, and more. The students had the courage to not only perform their personal work, but also share their ideas and express themselves amongst their peers.

“This was an opportunity for our students to use their vocabulary to gather their thoughts and write it down,” Saunders said. “We hope to continue this to allow our students an opportunity to engage in public speaking in a safe, confined environment so that they can feel comfortable doing this for the rest of their lives.”

After all the amazing student performances, each student was able to leave the Poetry Slam with their pick of a variety of poetry books to help them grow their personal home libraries. A few lucky students also won gift cards from a spin-the-wheel raffle by Paper.

“In Library Media Services, we want to make sure that our students have an opportunity to have their voices heard, share their thoughts, express themselves, and to engage with other like-minded people who enjoy reading and writing,” Saunders said.

2025 APS Poetry Slam Poets