In this live Poetry Pop-Up session, students meet youth poet leaders and experience poetry as a living, spoken art form. The session helps teachers bring authentic texts and performances into instruction, building excitement for reading and writing through real student-centered examples.

The event also demystifies poet laureate roles and highlights how students can grow as writers by reading widely, observing craft, and sharing work with an audience.

What You’ll Learn

• How spoken-word poetry can strengthen engagement and literacy routines.
• Ways to foster student writing confidence through authentic mentor texts.
• How to encourage purposeful audience awareness in student writing.
• Simple approaches for building a poetry-rich classroom culture.

Key Themes Discussed

• Poetry as a bridge between identity, place, and expression.
• Craft and structure (form, imagery, vocabulary) as teachable moves.
• Joy and resilience through writing and performance.
• Reading and observing poetry as a pathway to stronger writing.

Who Should Watch This Webinar?

This webinar is designed for:

• Classroom teachers.
• ELA educators.
• Teachers facilitating poetry units, spoken word, or student performance.
• Educators seeking authentic writing motivation and student voice models.

Meet the Speakers

• Elizabeth Shvarts, Northeast Regional Ambassador; National Youth Poet Laureate Finalist (New York City).
• Jessica Kim, Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate; National Youth Poet Laureate Finalist.
• Jenny Coogan, Chief Content Officer, Newsela (Host).