Kinkaid junior shares the joy of creative writing

One might describe Helen Zhang as Kinkaid’s creative writing ambassador. 

As the Upper School’s inaugural student poet laureate, Zhang, a junior, has made a name for herself as a writer and orator, most recently reading her work to open the winter Margaret Kinkaid concert. 

Students in the creative writing class at Kinkaid say her work sticks out for its vivid imagery and unique meter. The poem she read at the Margaret Kinkaid concert was about the coming of winter, its inviting chill, and the power of the holiday season to bring people together. 

“I was surprised that I had been chosen, but mostly grateful and honored that Ms. Angélique Jamail and Mr. Scott Lambert deemed me worthy of this position,” Zhang said. 

To become a Poet Laureate, students must submit a series of three to five poems and essays explaining why they want to serve as poet laureate and the importance of poetry and Kinkaid to them. It is also a requirement for the yearlong honor that students be enrolled in the creative writing class for both semesters and compose a set of poems able to be read in less than two minutes.

“This is such a great opportunity for me both as a poet and a member of the Kinkaid community, and I'm super excited to showcase the amazing creative writing program here,” she said.

What many don’t know is that Zhang has taken her poetry beyond her role as a poet laureate. She recently published an anthology of poems titled Passion: (the sweetest fruit of all), using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing website.

“I've been writing poetry ever since I was young, and last summer, I decided to compile all of my works and consolidate them under a common theme to hopefully show the evolution of my writing and ideas through time,” she said.

Zhang has been writing since the age of eight, but she restricted her anthology to pieces from up to five years ago. In choosing these poems and creating Passion, Zhang said her biggest takeaways were “to be very patient and understanding.”

“I've never appreciated how worthwhile it is to see your book in print, but after this entire process I've come to appreciate every aspect of it,” she said.

Zhang said the creative writing program at Kinkaid played a pivotal role in helping her create Passion. 

“Our teacher, Ms. Jamail, provided me with the insight and ideas necessary to look through my poetry and be able to make a coherent and well-written book,” Zhang said.

Passion contains a variety of poems which reflect on her experiences as a dancer, writer, and daughter, but Zhang said her favorites are the opening and closing poems because “they tell the overarching story of the anthology very well and I like the simplistic language I used in them.”

Proceeds from book sales will most likely go to charity. 

“My mother and I are currently still looking for charities, but we want to donate to a foundation that focuses on literacy and promoting the arts in underfunded schools, as we are very passionate about that area,” she said.