For three hours Sunday afternoon, The Book House, at 7352 Manchester Road in Maplewood, hosted seventh-graders reading their own poems. They were some of about 8,700 students from 118 schools nationwide who submitted poems for the 7th Grade Poetry Contest. This is the event’s sixth year.
The students who were published in the book, Poetry on Our Terms, winners in the St. Louis area, came to read their poems.
Michelle Barron, owner of The Book House said each seventh-grader came with family and teachers, so the store’s basement held almost a hundred most of the afternoon. She moved shelves of books to make it possible.
Barron said the kids read some “heart wrenching stuff – I mean, like tears in your eye’s kind of stuff – these little 12-year-olds – writing about suicide; one kid, autistic, had one of the best poems. It was amazing stuff.”
Barron said last year it was held at the St. Louis History Museum, but that wasn’t available this year, so she got a call three weeks ago.
“When they did it at the History Museum they all felt swallowed by the big auditorium. This was what a real poet would be going through, reading in a book store,” she said.
She cycled students and their fans through about 10 at a time. After the readings, the students went upstairs to discuss books and poetry, which went on for another hour. “The kids just loved that,” she said.
The event will be held next Saturday from 1-4 p.m. at The Book House for any of the remaining 62 seventh grade poets who didn’t come Sunday.
The following Saturday, May 2, is Independent Book Store Day. The Book House is planning The Book House Poetry Slam out on the sidewalk. Barron said she’s trying to get some adults and “heavy hitters” for that one.