January 20th, 2021, the Youngest Inaugural Poet in US History, Amanda Gorman, delivered her poem “The Hill We Climb”. My partner and I sat heavy with fear from the January 6th riot and exhausted after four years of a hate fueled presidency. And then Gorman said:
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice. And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
The poet’s words seem to lift the fog we had been living in and allowed us to be hopeful for the future.
It is no secret that the last year and a half under another Trump administration has brought more fear, confusion, and pain to many of our communities and neighbors. Many of us have felt powerless to create any positive change in a world filled with war, anger, and lies.
In times like these, we turn to our story tellers, our artists and our poets to show us the beauty we still have around us.
Mery Noel Smith is the Spokane Poet Laureate and in their third year in the role is creating positive change to make sure young voices like Gorman’s have a place to speak power and truth for years to come in Spokane.
Smith’s role is to do anything she can to incorporate poetry and literary art into the Spokane community and to make sure we, as a community, feel poetic.
With over 10 years of lived experience teaching early childhood education and even more experience as a parent herself, Smith knows firsthand the power youth voices have. Which is why she, in partnership with the Spokane Arts Foundation, has launched the inaugural Spokane Youth Poet Laureate position.
Smith says the goal of the Youth Poet Laureate program “Is to simply give a platform to youth, giving youth purpose and meaningful context is important. It helps create sustainability in the arts community to have youth ownership and representation in their own art.” She continued to say, “I am hoping this role opens the door to creating more engagement and responsibility for students in all aspects of the community from arts to commerce.”
The Youth Poet Laureate position is a new opportunity for student poets, but it is only one of the many programs Mary facilitates for our community. She wants everyone to get involved in literary arts and so she runs after school programs in partnership with Spokane Schools, hosts events and workshops with the Spokane Public Library and even hosts her own workshops which are completely free for community members.
She says without partnerships like Spark Central in Kendall Yards, much of this work would not be possible.
“There is so much that I want to do and there is so little of me to go around. I need community support to do all the (programs). Offering our gifts, talents, services, and any other in-kind support is how we make sure our community continues to thrive.”
Smith encourages everyone to connect with her via email at merymo@gmail.com or at her website, merynoel.com. She wants everyone to support youth artist any chance they get. Her next event is a multigenerational poetry event at Touchmark Senior living on April 14 and encourages the community to show up to the Kendal Yards Night Market this summer to support student poetry performed live every Wednesday in the summer.
To connect with me or learn more about education advocacy opportunities you can email kenji@educationvoters.org.