Quarry Lane Student Hosts Virtual Teen Poetry Slam

Quarry Lane School junior and current Teen Poet Laureate of Pleasanton, Kanchan Naik is hosting the city's very first ever virtual Poetry Slam, which provides teenagers from all over the Tri-Valley area an opportunity to celebrate teen voices and expression. Teenagers ages 13-18 living in the Tri-Valley area are eligible to participate, and can do so from their own homes.

A Poetry Slam is a poetry competition where participants read their poems without props, costumes, or music. Performers speak about topics that they are passionate about -- a message that they want to share with the world. Amid the current COVID-19 health crisis, poetry can be a creative outlet for teens to express their thoughts and emotions on the issue.

Kanchan was named Teen Poet Laureate of Pleasanton this past November. One of her goals as Teen Poet Laureate is to make poetry and creating poetry more accessible. "As the teen poet laureate, I would like to help our community not only appreciate poetry, but treat it like an approachable, hands-on activity," said Kanchan.

Students who are interested in entering can mail their submissions to the City of Pleasanton as private Youtube videos. Entries must be received by this Friday, April 3rd. Our judges include members of Tri-Valley Writers, the Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council, and the City of Pleasanton. To submit an entry or for more information about the virtual event, click here: https://tinyurl.com/tn243hw