WASHINGTON — A Little Rock student was among the members of a new class of National Student Poets honored by Michelle Obama on Thursday.
The first lady hosted a White House event Thursday for 17-year-old David Xiang, a Little Rock Central High School senior, and four others as they read their original works of poetry in the Blue Room.
"It takes a level of bravery to be that vulnerable, to stand up in this room — this historic place with these lights and cameras — and share something so personal and precious," Obama said. "But that is also the beauty of poetry: how it helps you take all those complex and confusing thoughts and emotions and put them into words."
As literary ambassadors for the next year, each student will host workshops and lead service projects in their communities to spread the art of poetry.
The program is the nation's highest honor for youth poets. Obama said there were more than 20,000 submissions this year for the fourth class of poets.
The 2015 National Student Poets are Xiang; 16-year-old Chasity Hale of Miami; 16-year-old De'John Hardges of Cleveland; 15-year-old Eileen Huang of Lincroft, N.J.; and 17-year-old Anna Lance of Anchorage, Alaska.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Liftoff by David XiangLittle Rock Central High School and the National Park Service held a poetry workshop asking students to find, explore, and connect with a National Park Site they had not been to. The students then wrote and recorded a 90 second piece of spoken word personifying the park's resources. Here is David's piece on The Wright Memorial and Tuskegee Airman.
Posted by Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site on Monday, May 18, 2015
Little Rock Central High School and the National Park Service held a poetry workshop asking students to find, explore, and connect with a National Park Site they had not been to. The students then wrote and recorded a 90-second piece of spoken word personifying the park's resources. Here is David's piece on The Wright Memorial and Tuskegee Airman. Posted by Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site's Facebook on Monday, May 18, 2015.