Congratulations to the Teen Poetry Contest Winners!

The Write Michigan Teen Poetry Contest received 161 entries this year, and we were so impressed by the level of talent on display! KDL would like to thank all our teen poets – it takes courage to share your art with strangers, and we are honored by your participation.

Congrats to the winners, who will each receive a gift card to Meijer!

Written Competition Winners

Mary Oak for "Stain"

Tessa Feldpausch for "Warm Twinkles, Small Movements"

Sadie Johnson for "Blindness Is Cheap"

Elle Manning for "It's Spring, and I'm Seventeen Years Old" and "What Learning Is"

Owen Rowland for "You'll Never Know"

Isabella Stirrup for "The Various and Many Conflicts of the People"

Anaka Armstrong for "World Traveler"

Leilani Moore for "The Doll"

Keiarrah Reid for "Invisible"

Zara Walker-Smith for "The Weight I Carry" and "The Weight We Carry"

Nerissa Cruz for "What Is This Life?"

Taniya Radden for "Twist and Knockers"

Spoken Word Competition Winners

Anaka Armstrong
Anvi Jain
Cal Ketchum
Camden Elve
Delilah Smith
Erika Burd
Everleigh Murphy
Faith Chipman
Leilani Moore
Libby Berry
Mary Oak
Monica Mildren-Wilson
Netra Arora
Owen Roland
Shay Taliana
Sophie Ferris

We want to extend our gratitude to our judges, who made this all possible!

GF Korreck (Written Competition)

Anna Roseboro (Slam)

Jair Driesenga (Slam)

Rachael Hamlet (Slam)

"I chose 14 poems...and it wasn't easy," said Korreck. "As I always do, I found something worth reading in each one. I am impressed with the growing poetic sensibility of the KDL poets."