poetry
in the classroom
Poetry in the Classroom aims to introduce students to basic concepts of poetry, bring professional writers into classrooms, create relationships between local poets and teachers, and provide opportunities for students to publish and perform their work. We hope exposure to new creative tools is a source of empowerment for local youth.
About Elk River’s
poetry in the classroom
Poetry in the Classroom is a collaboration between Elk River Arts & Lectures and the Livingston School District that grew out of a partnership with Humanities Montana launching their Gather Round program, encouraging community-wide conversations about “hearth” and place.
Now a stand-alone program, Poetry in the Classroom aims to introduce students to basic concepts of poetry, bring professional writers into classrooms, create relationships between local poets and teachers, and provide opportunities for students to publish and perform their work. We hope exposure to new forms of creative expression is a source of empowerment for local youth.
In April 2022, four local poets — Marc Beaudin, Meriweather Campbell, Michael Earl Craig, and Max Hjortsberg — taught Livingston fourth graders to explore their world through haiku.
After fourth graders completed their poems, they were delivered to Park High School art students, who illustrated the haiku. Fifty-eight fourth graders and 47 high school students participated.
All of the student poems and accompanying illustrations appear in a chapbook. To obtain a free copy (available soon), please visit Elk River Books or email director@elkriverarts.org.
You can see students reading their poems in this video created by local filmmakers William Campbell and Theodore Robinson.
Elk River Arts & Lectures would like to thank all our Livingston School District partners, especially East Side librarian Jessica Hanson and Park High art teacher Sarah Mussetter.
We are grateful to the Park County Community Foundation and Printing for Less for generously supporting this program.
Poetry in the Classroom was featured in the Livingston Enterprise on April 13, 2022. To see the story, click here: