Diode Editions poet Daniel Blokh, author of grimmening, was recently appointed National Student Poet, the highest honor for young people who write poetry.
On August 30th at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Daniel and four other National Student Poets were honored by Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Dr. Katherine K. Matthew and Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden.
Throughout the year, the Poets will serve as literary ambassadors and will share their passion for poetry and literacy with their communities and at libraries and museums throughout their regions. This will be done through service projects, workshops, and public readings. In addition, each poet will receive a $5,000 academic award.
The National Student Poets Program is open to high school sophomores and juniors who submit work to, and receive a national medal from, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. This year, out of a pool of more than 23,000 works of poetry submitted to the Awards, 35 semi-finalists were invited to submit additional poetry and performance videos to distinguished jurors for final selection as National Student Poets.
Representing five geographical regions of the nation, the 2018 National Student Poets are:
Alexandra Contreras-Montesano, a senior at Burlington High School in Burlington, VT
Heather Laurel Jensen, a junior at Red Mountain High School in Mesa, AZ
Darius Atefat-Peckham, a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, MI
Ariana Smith, a senior at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts in Las Vegas, NV
Daniel Blokh, a senior at Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, AL
Read more of Daniel's work below & watch his commencement reading:
"NOVEMBER 23, 2013," Cleaver Magazine | September 2018
"We Fill Holes" and "Introduction," aaduna | August 2018
"How To Unroll," "How to Be A 15 Year Old Poet," and "How To Act in an Emergency," diode | March 2017
