Good Poetry
Good Poetry is a zine created and run by New Hampshire's Teen Poets Laureate team in cooperation with the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. With Good Poetry, we seek to identify and uplift the voices of high school poets across the state.
About Us
Emilia Kniestedt
Teen Poet Laureate
Emilia Kniestedt is a student at Phillips Exeter Academy. She is a youth poet laureate of New Hampshire and has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She is an alumna of the Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program. Emilia loves Carlina Duan poems, long runs, chocolate chip pancakes, and How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee.
Lauren Kim
Teen Poet Laureate
Lauren Kim is a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH. She is a youth poet laureate of New Hampshire and has previously served as a team member for the New Hampshire Teen Poet Laureate Team. She has attended the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, Interlochen Arts Camp for Creative Writing and the Harvard Crimson’s Summer Journalism Academy. Her work has been recognised by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and multiple anthologies. In her freetime, she enjoys going on runs, baking macarons, and checking out local cafes.
Pranavi Vedula
Team Member
Pranavi Vedula is a junior who attends Phillips Exeter Academy. She is a Team Member of the NH Teen Poet Laureate Team. Her writing has been published in various anthologies and magazines, and has been recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards. Pranavi is also an alumna of the Kenyon Review Young Writer’s Workshop. When not writing, she loves taking long walks.
Team Member
Ava Spaulding
Ava Spaulding is a junior who attends Phillips Exeter Academy. She is a team member of the NH Teen Poets Laureate Team. Poetry has allowed her to express her creative spirit and love of nature since elementary school. When Ava is not writing (or creating another form of art), you can find her nose-deep in science journals, drinking tea, hiking with her chocolate lab (Charley), or daydreaming about her future.
Skylar Christoffersen
Team Member
Skylar Christoffersen is a Senior at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. She is a member of the New Hampshire Teen Poet Laureate Team. Her writing has been published in the Alcott Youth Magazine, The Trailblazer Review, and Teen Ink’s monthly issues and has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. She has previously attended the Iowa Young Writers Program and Kenyon Review’s Young Writers Workshop. When not writing, she loves to read and play tennis.
Abigail Sears
Team Member
Abigail Sears is currently a junior who attends Phillips Exeter Academy. She is a team member of the NH Teen Poet Laureate team. Abigail has grown up surrounded by poetry and always had a strong interest in the subject. In her spare time, you can find Abigail exploring local bookstores, baking, or trying to learn way too many languages at once.
Shayla Gerkin
Team Member
Shayla Gerkin (she/her) is currently a junior at Exeter High School and a member of the New Hampshire Teen Poetry Laureate team. She is also a part of her school newspaper and Poetry Team. She is published in her local Creative Guts podcast and their poetry zine. When out of school, she works at her town library, hosts slam poetry events, and attends other poetry readings.
Sophie Yu
Team Member
Sophie Yu (she/her) is a sophomore at Phillips Exeter Academy and a member of the NH Teen Poet Laureate Team. She is a published author of two poetry collections titled “My Universe” and “Obsidian”, and most recently, her poem “Finding Home” was awarded The Lamont Younger Poets Prize at her academy. Her work has also been featured in various anthologies and recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In her free time she loves to listen to music, travel with friends and family, and try new foods.
Beldomisa Mendes
Team Member
Beldomisa Mendes is a student at Dover High school and is thrilled to be a part of the New Hampshire Teen Poetry Laureate Team (NHTPL). When she’s not hitting the books, you can usually find her lost in the world of poetry, exploring new places, or whipping up delicious dishes in the kitchen- her go-to therapy for those tough days.
Jimmy Pappas
Advisor
Jimmy Pappas received an MA in English literature from Rivier University. Published in over 100 journals, he moderates weekly Zoom events called A Conversation with Jimmy and Friends. His poem "Bobby's Story" was one of ten finalists in the 2017 Rattle Poetry Contest and won the 2018 Readers Choice Award. It is included in his first book Scream Wounds, a collection of poems based on veterans' stories. He was the winner of the 2019 Rattle chapbook contest for Falling off the Empire State Building. His interview with editor Tim Green is on Rattlecast #34.