In honor of National Poetry Month, Mustang Wild, Metea’s literary magazine, is hosting a week of poetry-themed activities to provide more creative opportunities for students and inspire students to share their art.
The week started with a movie playing during lunch periods in the LMC. On Thursday, participants will meet after school to continue existing poetry pieces or begin new ones. Students will be able to recite their poetry to fellow peers in the LMC collaboration room on Friday.
“We wanted to provide valuable resources and opportunities for writers at Metea to improve their skills in collaboration with others who hold similar interests,” Mustang Wild co-president Michelle Seby said.
Mustang Wild has sponsored creative writing exercises before. The club holds many writing contests, such as Inktober or fall writing marathon contests, each semester for prizes and a spot in the magazine. However, students can submit their work to the magazine without competing in the contests.
“[One reason] we decided to do a writer’s week because we had a week of Alice in Wonderland-themed activities earlier in the year, which was pretty successful,” Seby said.
National Poetry Month first began in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. Its purpose was to honor the contributions of all poets and recognize the important role they played in sharing the world’s stories. Although people of all ages celebrate National Poetry Month today, readers ages 18-34 are the most likely to consume poetry.
“We’ve got stories to tell,” senior Sophia Olson said. “I love to write because it brings to life my ideas, and it’s a way to experience things you haven’t before.”
Mustang Wild meets the first and third Thursday of every month for writing parties and/or putting together the magazine. Students can submit essays, short stories, art, photography, poetry, and larger writing samples if they are interested in submitting work.
“I would encourage people interested in Mustang Wild to come check out one of our meetings, either one of the few we have left this year or a meeting next year,” Seby said. “I would also encourage everybody to be brave and submit their writing and art as it is a way to improve as well as become more connected to the school community. We love getting new submissions, and if you’re unsure about whether to submit, feel free to ask me, one of the sponsors, or any of the other editors for feedback because we’re always willing to work with people to edit their work as well. Mustang Wild is a super fun and unique club and I would encourage everybody to give it a try.”
