Poetry Out Loud winner Stella Wright reads her favorite poems

INTERVIEWER: It's April, which the poet TS Eliot calls-- or called-- the cruelest month. But most poetry fans can find reasons to like April. It happens to be National Poetry Month, which is a great reason to talk about poetry. We're going to be hearing from several poets over the next few weeks. First up is this year's and last year's winner of the state Poetry Out Loud competition. Students choose a collection of poems to recite and are judged on their stage presence and interpretation.

Stella Wright is brilliant at bringing other people's poetry to life. She also writes some of her own. She is a senior at Robbinsdale High School, and she is on the line. Stella Wright, welcome. It's a real pleasure.

STELLA WRIGHT: Hi.

INTERVIEWER: How did you get into poetry?

STELLA WRIGHT: Yeah, it was actually in seventh grade, my-- I was best friends with my librarian, the librarian at our school. And she was writing a novel at the time. And she was like, oh, I just need-- I need to have a designated time where I can write. And I want to encourage young people to write too. So we're going to start a writing club. And every day, I would go there. And I'd sit down and just write, and poetry, and poetry.

And we had our first open mic. And I wrote a poem about police brutality. Orlando Castile had just been shot. And when I performed the piece, my teachers came up to me crying. And they say, that moved me. I mean, it brought light to such a deep and sore subject, and I think it was so beautiful. And I think that was my first experience that really brought me to love writing poetry and performing it. Because I know the power it has to create change.

INTERVIEWER: You work through some heavy topics in your poetry. Does it help you process what's happening in the world?

STELLA WRIGHT: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think poetry is the biggest outlet. And I encourage anyone to just try writing. It doesn't have to be good. It's really cathartic in a way.

INTERVIEWER: Now, we're asking everyone to bring along a poem that got them hooked on poetry. Tell us about the poem you brought.

STELLA WRIGHT: Yeah, so I-- the very first poem I-- that made me love slam poetry particularly was Perfect by Maya Mayor. And it talks about her mother. She has a tough relationship with her mother and this expectation to be perfect, that she feels like she's never enough. And I don't necessarily feel that with my mother. But I definitely feel it in, like, society, having the expectation to excel and be-- perform, and be perfect, in a way, which can be tough.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah, it's very difficult. Could you read some of the poem for us?

STELLA WRIGHT: Yeah, absolutely. You need to pay more attention, Maya. Stop daydreaming, Maya. Stop staring at the ceiling as if your one redeeming quality lies hidden in the plaster. You need to organize your life. Your life is a disaster, just like your room, just like your teeth, just like your future, which will soon come to an end if you don't put down that pen. You need to stop writing, Maya.

Your life is not a book. Don't give me that look, Maya. I am just trying to help you. I am just trying to love you. I am just trying to love you. You have to let me love you so that you can be perfect. Be perfect, like me.

INTERVIEWER: Oh.

STELLA WRIGHT: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Stella, wow. A nice interpretation too. Are you in theater, may I ask?

STELLA WRIGHT: I used to be, in middle school. But academics kind of took over.

INTERVIEWER: Well, that's OK. That's OK. You are excellent. I'm wondering, how do you-- what's your pitch to others, other young people your age, to get into poetry?

STELLA WRIGHT: I think it would be-- for me, it definitely was-- like, I didn't know how to write a poem. I didn't know, like, illustrations, or allegories, or metaphors, or similes. Like, I didn't know how to use them eloquently and, like, communicate a message using those. So I think watching them, like, really tells you your style, your taste. And then once you start, just keep doing it. And it will be good.

INTERVIEWER: You'll get hooked. You'll get hooked. Now--

STELLA WRIGHT: Yes.

INTERVIEWER: --you must read a poem of your own for us.

STELLA WRIGHT: Oh, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Is that OK?

STELLA WRIGHT: Yeah, for sure. I wanted to read A Caged Beast Stocks, which is an interesting love poem. I usually write very sad poetry. But I wanted to change it up. So yeah, it's called A Caged Beast Stocks. And it's about a person who kind of, like, is trying to get your-- wants your love for themselves. Like, they're trying to attack your relationship.

INTERVIEWER: OK, go for it.

STELLA WRIGHT: A smile sowed in deceit-- each tooth is a forsaken desire. They act as a gate to a tongue that craves the unattainable. Its desire is not rooted in lust, but in envy. You want his seed, not so you can nurture it to prosperity, but so you can destroy my garden. My heart sprouts bouquets, flowers of joy, petals of memories, grounded vines. You want my bouquets.

Your laughs are a tsunami. An unwanted storm, they drown the flowers, saturating them into something fragile and broken. A smile framed with luscious lips, the teeth conceal the dangerous beast. I dare you to open it. Your beast would walk pitifully on the vegetation, unadorned by him. It would be acquainted with a barren field because you sowed those seeds. And my man ain't gonna water them.

INTERVIEWER: Stella Wright. Stella Wright, wow. That is a original poem by Stella Wright, A Caged Beast Stalks. She's the winner of Minnesota's Poetry Out Loud competition. It has been my pleasure, Stella. Thank you. Best of luck in the future.

STELLA WRIGHT: Yeah, thank you. Thank you.

INTERVIEWER: Stella is a senior at Robbinsdale High School. She heads to the nationals to compete in early May. She's fantastic. Thanks for listening to Minnesota Now, here on NPR News.