ISA Poetry Competition Finalist!

Congratulations to Ella (Year 11) for her fantastic achievement in this year’s Senior Category of the ISA Poetry Competition! Chosen as one of only five finalists nationally, Ella’s poem was described by the adjudicator, spoken word poet and Young Adult novelist, Steven Camden as “A stunning rallying call to act. Powerful, poetic, stirring.” Matt Taylor, Leighton Park’s Head of English, agreed, reflecting, “Ella’s poem blended the urgency of the climate crisis with the strident voice of passionate advocacy.  The imagery, internal rhyme and energy made the greatest impression.” Head, Matthew Judd, has awarded Ella a Head’s Merit for her success.

Ella explained the process behind her creativity, “In a previous English lesson, we created poetry for National Poetry Day. I started to brainstorm ideas and created a few themes to base my poem on. I decided to choose a topic that was important to me at that time and went a similar direction however, ended up writing a different poem. When applying for the competition, I decided I would do the same thing and brainstorm ideas. I ended up writing about the same topic, something that was important and that I cared about. This turned out to be for the environment – I then played around ideas and how I could incorporate this year’s theme.

I write pieces of poetry here and there, generally when I have the time. Usually when I’m stressed; it can be one way to relax and just let the words drift onto the page. I found this poem quite easy to write the initial first draft, when previously I have gotten stuck or gotten confused in which direction I was taking each line. Instead, I actually ended up enjoying the long editing process. I think this was due to using my time in the LP Writers club to do so, surrounding myself with other individuals who are writing their own stories (novels), poems or articles. This was really motivating and pushed me to finish the poem.

When I heard I had been shortlisted by the ISA it was a proud moment. When I have entered previous pieces of work into competitions, I never reached that far (it was still fun to enter either way). It was when I realised that I had gotten through to the final, rather than through to the second or third round that it entirely sunk in. ”

The Independent Schools Association (ISA) Arts Team, who organised the event to showcase work produced in 2021, commented, “The 2021 Poetry Competition was very close-run, with students submitting brilliant writing across all the age categories. Our first round judges Paul and Caroline Spendlove said “This year, the quality and quantity of the entries was very high. We have come to expect cleverly crafted and structured poetic writing from our pupils and students.” Describing his experience judging the five finalists’ entries, Steve Camden said: “Oh my days, this was hard!  Such distinct and clear styles and voices. I think I’ve read and reread each piece at least ten times!”