December 23, 2024 – The Decatur Area Poets will host a book release and poetry reading featuring the finalists of the first Decatur-wide high School Poetry Competition on January 25th.
All Decatur high schools, public and private, were invited to participate in the first ever competition. Poems were judged by members of the Illinois State Poetry Society and the top three finalists will win cash prizes: $200 for first place, $100
for second place, and $50 for third place. Cash prizes were provided by sponsor, WAND-TV.
for second place, and $50 for third place. Cash prizes were provided by sponsor, WAND-TV.
The finalists include Charlotte Bramer of MacArthur, Allure Johnson Fitzpatric of Eisenhower, Emma Martinek of Unity Christian, Rachel Miller of St. Teresa, Jaimylee Porter of MacArthur, Haylei Sharp of Eisenhower, Eden Wilkinson of St. Teresa and Riahna Woodland of Unity Christian.
The finalists will be reading their submissions on January 25th from 1pm to 3pm at the Madden Auditorium and the Decatur Library. The event is free and open to the public.
All finalists will also be published in Decatur Area Poet’s first anthology, Inkwell, which will be released at the event in January of 2025.
A final reading, featuring the top three poets, will take place at the James Millikin Homestead on Sunday, February 23rd, at 1:00 pm. This event will have a $10 admission fee, to benefit the Homestead, and will also feature artwork from the Barn Colony Artists, and local poet, Anastasia Lindsey.
The event is made possible by WAND-TV, The Decatur Area Poets, The Decatur Public Library, and The Illinois State Poetry Society.
