Alexander, students, faculty shine at Bergan Poetry Festival

Alexis earned $100 and the Slam title with her original poems “Triflin’ ” and “Sterotypes” Friday evening in FoxHound Auditorium. Effie '11,a relative of the famous poet Joyce Kilmer, collected $50 for second place and Abby '13 took third, and $25. Jennifer '14 was also among the finalists who advanced from a field of eight. The evening, hosted by English and History teacher Steve McCarty, himself a published poet, also showcased musical performances by students and faculty, some of whom brought down the roof with their skill.

Saturday morning, Alexander read from his poetry collections Crush and Dancing Naked on the Floor, shared stories about his life and work, and conducted a poetry–writing workshop in the Currier Library. The author of 13 books and founder of Book-in-a-Day, a literacy program that inspires young people to write, Alexander demonstrated why he is such a popular presenter at schools and colleges across the U.S. , engaging and inspiring the 150+ girls. By the end of the session, students had composed “spine poems” by plucking books off the library shelves and “list poems” by collaborating on given topics and were bubbling about the whole process.

At Saturday afternoon’s competitive readings, Montana read “Mother to Son,” by Langston Hughes to take the English 401 prize, ahead of seniors Abby and Arabella. Isabel's dramatic presentation of “Sundown” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow took English 301 honors and Taylor's “Be a Friend” by Edward Guest topped the English 201 competitors. Kate did an outstanding job with a tricky piece, “A Poem About Responsibility” by Charles Osgood, to win English 101 laurels.

A tradition that dates back to Foxcroft’s earliest days, the competitive readings feature three finalists in each grade level who have been chosen by their peers and certified by faculty judges in two previous rounds of competition. Each reads a poem of her choice and the best one, based on poem selection as well as delivery, wins. Finalists this year included junior Acey H. and senior Charlotte Z. in English 301; sophomores Julianne M. and Cat R. in English 201, and freshmen Allie M. and Selina S. in English 101.

Open readings rounded out the weekend Saturday. In a session reflecting the diversity of the Foxcroft community, 15 students and teachers read poetry in languages other than English, ranging from French and Swedish to Mandarin, Hawaiian, Maori, Quechuan, and Igbo. Faculty sharing original poems and favorite published poems followed, concluding a delightful weekend of rhyme, rhythm and readings!