Gann Academy students have again earned national recognition through the Academy of American Poets’ Dear Poet competition. For the second consecutive year, a Gann student has been selected to receive a personalized response from an award-winning poet—an honor earned by only 45 students nationwide.
During National Poetry Month each April, all Gann tenth graders participate in the Dear Poet project as part of their English coursework. The initiative invites students to write letters in response to poems written by contemporary poets and selected by the Academy. Thousands of students across the country submit letters each year and only five letters per poet are chosen for individual replies and publication.
Last year, Rachel A. ’26 was selected for a reply to her letter responding to Patricia Smith’s “When the Burning Begins.” In a warm reply, Smith praised Rachel’s writing—which focused on memory, intergenerational relationships, grief, and healing—as “phenomenal…full of heat and motion and light” and went on to say that Rachel’s work “runs laps around” some of Smith’s students at Princeton University.
This year, Mira F. ’27 was selected for a personalized reply to her letter responding to Afaa Michael Weaver’s “Losing the 440-Yard Dash.” In her letter, Mira reflected on relatable themes of comparison, expectations, and the pressure many teenagers feel to measure themselves against others, highlighting how the poem articulated experiences that often feel isolating. Weaver wrote back with appreciation for how Mira highlighted the power of poetry to “bring light to the things that matter most to young people” and to help us feel less alone.
Eris S. ’27 also earned an honorable mention this year; their letter was one of only ten letters forwarded to poet Joy Ladin.
The Dear Poet project invites students not only to analyze poetry, but to enter into authentic dialogue with living writers—an experience that validates student voices and demonstrates the lasting power of careful reading, reflection, and language. That Gann students have been recognized in consecutive years reflects both the strength of their writing and the meaningful classroom experiences that support it.
Congratulations to Rachel, Mira, and Eris—and to all our teachers who continue to make powerful literary connections possible for Gann students.
You can read the correspondence between our students and these poets here: Mira F. and Rachel A.