On March 5 at 8:30 a.m., approximately 70 students gathered in the Ken Griffin Auditorium to listen to author and poet Clint Smith read and discuss his poetry live on Zoom.
In English 9, students read Mr. Smith’s “Counting Descent,” and through this assembly, students heard some of the poems they have studied in class straight from the author.
Mr. Smith began his talk by reading the title poem from his book. Filled with emotion, Mr. Smith captivated the audience by shedding new light on the words that students have spent hours in class analyzing.
English teacher Danielle Jones brought her first period class to Mr. Smith’s talk. Dr. Jones thinks that hearing about the text from the author brings new value.
“It is one thing to teach in class and say ‘I have these particular types of ideas about the text, because we all bring our own experiences and interpretations.’ But it’s another thing to hear the author themselves say, ‘Here is the context of this poem’ or ‘Here was my thought process,’” Dr. Jones said.
Toward the end of his talk, Mr. Smith told the audience about his writing process and how his poetry is his stream of consciousness, which can later develop into more than a poem.
Mr. Smith said, “Sometimes the poem begins as a poem and then turns into an essay and then it turns into a book.”
