Yum’s the word!

Homeschooled kids win prizes for tasty words in poetry contest

Eight homeschooled students in Arkansas have won prizes for poems they entered in a contest called “Yum’s the Word” (Because Words Are Delish!). Divided by grade levels (1-5 and 6-12), the contest was the first project of Arkansas’ recently appointed poet laureate, Suzanne Underwood Rhodes of Fayetteville. Winners were announced on September 1.

“I’m impressed with the poetic skill of these young people – their creative word magic, originality, and the ability to transform everyday experiences into extraordinary ones,” Mrs. Rhodes said. “Contestants had the option to choose among three topics: “My favorite quiet place in Arkansas,” “Something special about my grandmother or grandfather” and “My favorite family feast.”

Cash awards and certificates were given for the first, second and third-place winners, and the two students who won honorable mentions received certificates. At Governor Hutchinson’s invitation, the first-place winners in the lower and upper grades and their families went to Little Rock on September 8 to meet him in the Capitol for a photo shoot, to read their poems to him and visit with him in his office.

The judges, Stephanie Sugioka of Norfolk, Virginia, and Rita Quillen, of Gate City, Virginia, are both distinguished, widely published poets and retired professors. Emma Wright, 13, of Hot Springs, won first place for her poem “Friday Night Dinner.” She said she chose the topic because “Friday night dinner is a really big tradition in my family during the summer. All the kids do the cooking – three in my family and three cousins.” She explained that her cousins and their parents spend the summers with them every year. “My grandfather heads everything, and we always use Cooks Illustrated. It’s like a test kitchen. We read the recipe, go shopping to buy the ingredients, then we study the science behind the recipe and make it. It’s all very elaborate.”

She said that writing her poem was fun, “like finding different words to put in different places and juggling them around.”

She said she laughed for two whole minutes when she came up with “precious tomes of culinary expertise.”

Elinor (“Ellie”) Johnson, 9, of Arkadelphia choose the topic “Something Special about My Grandfather” for her poem “Sugar, Soda and Summer,” which won first place in the lower grade division. “I loved writing the poem,” she said. “I liked that it was about my grandpa and other things I like. I tried to use more creativity writing the poem, especially choosing words.” When she received word that she’d won first place, she “was really happy and excited! I was also really surprised because I didn’t think I’d win.”

Gov. Hutchinson invited each girl to sit behind his desk. Emma thought that was “a very cool” experience and said the

governor “was nice.” Ellie said she “felt really important” getting to sit at his desk, and felt “like a part-time governor.”

These are all the contest winners:

Grades 1-5

First place: Elinor Johnson, 9, from Arkadelphia, for her poem “Sugar, Soda, and Summer”

Second place: Marcus Atkinson, 10, from Harrison, for “The Stand”

Third place: Augustus Johnson, 6, from Arkadelphia for “How to Become a Grandpa”

Honorable mention: Katherine Wright, 10, from Hot Springs for “Friday Night Dinner”

Grades 6-12

First place: Emma Wright, 13, from Hot Springs for “Friday Night Dinner”

Second place: Ava Hickman, 16, from Harrison, for “Memorial Stone”

Third place: Katherine Johnson, 12, from Arkadelphia for “The Woods and White Sand Creek”

Honorable mention: Hannah Williams, 17, from Maumelle, for “Room of Resonance”

Will these kids keep writing poems? Marcus Atkinson said, “I want to continue writing poetry—and books too!” As for Gus Johnson (this will make you smile), he’ll keep writing “if there’s another contest.” Ava Hickman, who’s been writing poetry for years, wrote several for the contest before choosing her entry and said, “I love to do poetry.” Mrs. Rhodes founded the poetry contest for two reasons. One was to provide a creative opportunity for Arkansas homeschoolers, who often have a hard time getting resources easily available to traditional students. Another reason is that homeschooling has recently grown by 8% in Arkansas. “It’s important to be aware of this population of students,” she said. She offers this advice for Official Kids Mag readers who might want to try their hand at writing poetry. “Always use plenty of images, or word pictures, and choose fresh, fun, gorgeous words like dazzle, wisteria, squishy and glum. By choosing ‘the best words in the best order,’ as Samuel Coleridge defined poetry, your poem will touch our feelings. The art of a poem is its heart.”