So when I say, “You are the Boss of Your Poem,” the frisson of freedom that ripples through the group is palpable. “So I don’t have to write about the moon?” asks a kid who is obsessed ...

A version of this story ran in the January / February 2025 issue. Write about the untouchable. Something out of arm’s reach, like freedom, the stars, or you. Write an ode to misfits. A poem of ...

Isabella Cotier By A.O. Scott Here’s a poem about patience, about self-control, about the need to conserve your energy and constrain your desire. Fittingly enough, it’s a proper old-school ...

The poem reads, in part, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” ...

She responded with a poem. "Being the first young poet to have this title means a lot of pressure but also a lot of freedom," said Gorman, who is also a sophomore at Harvard University.