Ivy Schneider

Spotlight Editor

Ms. Melody Mansfield, Faculty Advisor of Writes of Passage, and the Creative Writing Leaders, Alison Rollman ‘14, Marc Pakravan ‘14, and Lizzy Cohen ’14, presented Daniella Wenger ‘14 as January’s Spotlight Poet. The senior shared her pieces, such as ‘Admission Seeking College Students Please Note…,’ ‘The Flight’s Fight,’ and ‘Responsibility,’ aloud to a group of students and faculty on January 31st during lunch.

Poetry, unlike essay and analysis writing, has always come naturally to Wenger.

“When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble writing anything formal, from paragraphs to research papers, so I often turned to poetry to communicate my thoughts,” said Wenger.

Wenger started to formulate poems in the 3rd Grade after gaining an interest in her aunt’s refrigerator magnets, one specifically about the “majestic flavor of coffee.”

Wenger shared, “In short, there is not one topic that I specifically like to write about. I am inspired by anything and everything! From family to the latest art exhibits, to my people-watching skills—you will never know if my next poem will be about you! Just kidding!”

Ultimately, Wenger is inspired by pure observation, interactions she has with her peers, not only friends and family but strangers as well, and unique places around Los Angeles, America, and the world. She has a drive for curiosity that has lead her to writing some of her greatest pieces.

“Sometimes obscure questions and ideas pop into my head about the interconnectedness of different mediums and I like to write them down. Some of these random thoughts have turned into various forms of poetry– from dramatic monologue to haiku!” said Wenger.

Other students who shared their work were Yelli Lewin ‘15, Josh Klein ‘15, Gabi Kamran ‘15, Chanel Peykar ‘15, Yoni Yasmeh ‘15, Dean Grant ‘15, Ricki Toren ‘15, and Brandon Yeshua ‘15.