Congratulations to Zoe in Year 9 who has been shortlisted as a finalist in the search for a West Midlands Young Poet Laureate. Last week she went to Birmingham to meet the other finalists and for all of the young poets to perform their poems in a final push to be chosen as one of two regional poetry ambassadors. Here’s her account of the day:
Last week, on the 28th of April, I had the privilege to go to the Young Poet Laureate UK masterclass and performance at Birmingham Library with Mrs Meredith. It was a very exciting and inspiring day, as I had the honour of being shortlisted for the 2026 Young Poet Laureate competition. The library was huge, with 10 stories and small gardens at the top which were really pretty and so high up. There were 10 students (including me) for KS3 and 10 from KS2, including teachers (and parents for some of the younger ones). The poetry was amazing, especially the younger children’s performances, which were really good for such young children (I couldn’t write like that at their age!). They were really cute, barely able to reach the microphone. The masterclass gave me valuable tips on performance, and we all got to know each other a bit. It was an unforgettable experience, and I’m grateful for the chance to be a part of it.
One of the highlights of the day was hearing the performances. There was something special about seeing the courage of so many young poets sharing their work with an audience, and being surrounded by people with the same passion as me…I couldn’t imagine anything better! The variety and power of the poems was amazing, and I came away from the day filled with ideas and encouraged to write.
A special thank you to Mrs Meredith – it was an amazing day and thank you for going with me.
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