By Angelina Herrera
Co-President and Junior Sabina Puertas, wanted to create a space where she and her fellow students could get together to learn about, and discuss poetry. However, outside of an English class, where poetry is not a core focus, that space did not exist on campus. To remedy this, Puertas and Junior Kiara Amaya, created the Poetry Club, also known as the Pen & Ink Society.
“We get to bring together more people who like poetry; and in the process, we get to teach about it,” Puertas said.
Every Monday in room J16 at lunch, the club strives to dig deeper and explores the creative process of analyzing, discussing, and interpreting poetry. Members discuss poets of the past and present. For example, they’ve recently worked through analyzing and discussing poetry by Sylvia Plath and Seamus Heaney.
“We want to expose more people to poetry and to different kinds of poets. We feel like there are not enough poets that are analyzed in English classes. It’s something that we really enjoy doing,” Puertas said.
Co-presidents Puertas and Amaya hope that by exposing students to an array of diverse poetry and poets, members of the club can grow their own skills and knowledge. Their meetings and activities illustrate a shared love of poetry.
“I was initially interested in participating in the Poetry Club because of my love for poetry. It is one of my favorite art forms. I was looking forward to meeting other students with the same interests as well as discovering new poems,” senior Sophia Casillas said.
The club also allows students to individually express themselves, whether it’s through a discussion or writing poetry. Members of the club also participate in creative writing activities. Members recently created their own blackout and haiku poetry.
These kinds of activities and discussions are what help the members of the Poetry Club to display their creativity within a safe space. Students also get the chance to share their poems with their peers who give positive feedback.
The club hopes to continue to introduce the art of poetry to its members. Their goal is to nurture aspiring writers and the appreciation of an art form that is not usually focused on during English classes. Additionally, Co-Presidents Puertas and Amaya are making it a top priority to include diverse poets which are not usually studied while also creating a sense of community through like-minded students.
“Poetry club is always enjoyable. People talk about their favorite works, read some, make some, etc. Whether you’re interested in poetry or not, it’s a nice place to kick back and explore a new activity with friends,” junior Isabella Hermosa said.
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