“I Have a Dream”
I Have a Dream: Inaugural Poems for a New Generation, an anthology featuring the work of 115 students age 6 to 16 was released on January 9, 2021, with support from the San Mateo County Arts Commission and Office of Arts & Culture Executive Director Robin Rodricks, and edited by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto and English teacher Mr. Jim Ward.
The idea for this anthology came about after more than 100 of San Mateo County’s high school students spent December of 2020 attending poetry workshops and crafting inaugural poems. Partly inspired by the Academy of American Poets’ 2021 Inaugural Poem Contest, we challenged San Mateo County’s youth to write about their views, their experiences and their hopes for America as we were preparing to enter a new decade. Our purpose was not only to amplify the voices of our young people, but to also acknowledge that they are co-authors of our national and community narrative, and of the spaces which they inhabit.
Speak Poetry in San Mateo County 