“They picked mine!” Matthew Falkenberg and many other West students opened his school email to find out that his poem was selected to be published in the Poetic Power Anthology book.

Ella Lukasik said, “I’m proud of myself because I wrote a good poem.”

The Poetic Power contest is a state-wide contest where students from K-9th grade can enter a poem and have a chance to win. Those who win can have their poems published in a hardcover book that the students or their parents could buy for $26.45.

“West has been in the poetic power for over 10 years,” Mrs. O’Dell, WMS ELA teacher stated. Mrs.O’Dell has had her class do the Poetic Power contents for a while now and she says that most students like to enter contests. because they can choose a favorite poem they have written throughout the school year or create an original piece to enter.

There are three contests each year, there is the summer contest, the fall contest, and the spring contest. the spring contests books ship in October, The Summer books ship in January, and the fall books ship in June.

Teachers usually assign the Poetic Power contest. If 5 or more students in the same class give permission to the teacher to publish their poems in the book then the teacher will receive a free book.

Good luck!