Windsor high school senior wins state poetry competition

PRISCA AFANTCHAO WON THE FIRST ANNUAL POETRY OURSELVES STATE COMPETITION. Mar 22, 2021 8:00 am EDT | Updated Mar 22, 2021 8:01 am EDT Press release from Windsor Public Schools: March 22,

2021 Prisca Afantchao, a senior at Windsor High School, has won the first annual Poetry Ourselves State Competition. Ms. Afantchao will receive a trophy, prizes, and perhaps the most

exciting part, is that her poetry will be included in a Poetry Ourselves Anthology! A copy of the anthology will soon be available for students to view at the high school. Poetry Ourselves

is a new component to Poetry Out Loud, a yearly competition held at Windsor High School. It is open at the national level only to the Poetry Out Loud state champions. However, the

Connecticut Office of the Arts developed a state level program for students to compete separately. Students submitted 3 original poems, and were judged by a panel of poets and literary

professionals in the state. Afantchao states, “ I love poetry because it is all about self expression and imagination without restrictions. I feel most in touch with the world and the human

condition when I am reading or writing poetry. Poetry Out Loud has allowed me to grow as a poet and as a person since I first competed in 9th grade. Learning to recite others' poetry

and read about their experiences helped me better understand my own. Poetry Out Loud encourages young people to realize the power of their voices and I will always be grateful for that.

Subscribe Prisca Afantchao is a first-generation Togolese-American poet who is based in Connecticut. She is currently a high school senior. Her work was recognized in the finals of the

Pulitzer Center’s 2019 Fighting Words Contest and has received the Silver Key from the 2019 and 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Three of her poems were published in the 2020 Youth

Speaks anthology, “Between My Body and the Air”. Her poetry tends to focus on themes of fear, geography, and physicality. Her work was recognized in the finals of the Pulitzer Center’s 2019

Fighting Words Contest and has received the Silver Key from the 2019 and 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Three of her poems were published in the 2020 Youth Speaks anthology,

“Between My Body and the Air''. Afantchao plans to major in International Studies at college and pursue a career campaigning for human rights. She will also continue writing poetry

and essays. “I hold on to a white flag” ------------------------- _This press release was produced by Windsor Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own._