poetry

The talented poets of Atlanta Public Schools put on incredible performances in front of their peers at the third annual APS Poetry Slam at Frederick Douglass High School.

Student performers from high school, middle school and even two elementary school poets, shared their art with passion, covering a wide range of topics like relationships, culture, school and society.

“It means a lot to our students because they don’t often get to express themselves in constructive ways or artistic ways,” APS media services coordinator Charice Coston said. “For them to have an outlet for self-expression is so powerful. You hear some topics that you don’t realize are in the minds of our youth. But to see them express their femininity or them growing into themselves is very powerful for our middle and high school students.”

The students submitted their original works through PAPER, an educational support system that partnered with APS to help the students prepare for the Poetry Slam.

Demar Goodman, a senior at South Atlanta High School, recited his poem What it Stands For, an insightful critique of the shortcomings of an American promise.

“It’s basically about what I see in the country, what it should be, and what it always has stood for,” he said. “However, it doesn’t always accomplish these promises. Therefore, I wrote the poem to advocate for people.”

Za’Nirea “Zari” Gates, a sophomore at Booker T. Washington High School, delivered her poem Beyond the Ruts with the flare of an aspiring entertainer.

“I like performing in front of people, and it’s actually good for me to work on performing in front of other people because it helps me with my speech and confidence,” Zari said. “It was just a good experience, and I like interacting with the crowd.”

Every student performance was followed by applause, snaps and cheers from the audience. Even the featured guest poets were impressed by the APS students. Joshua T. Dickerson, author of the poem Cause I Ain’t Got A Pencil, recited his popular poem at the Poetry Slam for the students and felt encouraged to see so many budding artists expressing themselves.

“I believe in the power of written, spoken word,” he said. “To see the young generation actually expressing themselves, it goes on to impact communities. When you impact communities, you can impact the world.”

A few APS educators also joined in sharing their talents with the students. H.J. Russell West End Academy ELA teacher Takai Straw performed her own spoken word to kick off the Poetry Slam. Brita Brown, an educator at Harper-Archer Elementary School, and Toomer Elementary School assistant principal Dr. Teruko Dobashi also performed at the Poetry Slam.  

This was the first time the APS Poetry Slam was in-person after two years of having to make the event work virtually. The students enjoyed the live-performances, and everyone could feel the energy and support in the room.

“APS is always great at advocating for student voice, and this is just one of the many ways that APS does it,” Goodman said. “It means that APS cares about the future and invests in the voices of our students today. APS is chock-full of talent. Whenever, wherever, we’re always ready.”

2024 APS Poetry Slam participants