Rising Voice Poetry Workshops

This fall, we held our first Rising Voice Poetry Workshop at Northside Elementary School, designed and led by poet and educator Cortland Gilliam. The workshop invited fifth graders to explore the theme Everywhere I Belong while connecting poetry, creative voice, and community.

Cortland guided students through discussions about belonging and voice, inviting them to think deeply about where they feel seen, safe, and valued. Together, the class defined key ideas such as belonging versus fitting in, inclusion versus exclusion, and how poetry can express those feelings.

Students watched examples of young poets using imagery and free verse to tell their stories, then began writing their own poems using prompts like, Belonging is that feeling when___. Drawing from their reflections, they created individual poems about what belonging looks and feels like in their lives.

Each student then selected a favorite line from their poem to add to a collaborative class poem. Their teacher commented, 

“This workshop gave students an opportunity to reflect on their sense of belonging. Crafting our class poem was such a rich and powerful experience. My students thought deeply about the placement of each line, moving beyond their own words to consider how their voices connected with others. Creating something together at the very start of the school year showed me just how quickly they have grown into a close, supportive community. The respect they showed for each other’s lines, the way they listened intently to every word spoken, and the genuine engagement in our discussions made this my favorite lesson of the year. I loved being able to participate alongside them and join in the conversation.”

This workshop marks the beginning of the Rising Voice Poetry series across Chapel Hill - Carrboro City Schools, where we will visit each 5th grade class at five elementary schools. After the workshops, each student will have the opportunity to share their poetry in a community showcase, and their work will be featured in a published anthology celebrating the voices of fifth graders across the district.

The Rising Voice Poetry Workshops are made possible through the support of the Town of Chapel Hill’s Arts & Culture Award Program.