Sophomore Receives Silver Key Awards for Poetry

Sophomore Carolyn Hohl has received two Scholastic Award Silver Keys, one each for “Still White” and “Lines on the Sidewalk,” two poems that she submitted to the competition.
 
The two pieces are reflections on different aspects of Hohl’s life and identity. “Still White,” Hohl says, is “looking back on religion, and what my views are on that at this point in my life.” The poem took inspiration from Maggie Nelson’s Bluets, a work that uses the color blue as a way to discuss themes of grief, love and solitude. “Lines on the Sidewalk” is “about me looking back on being a woman  what is it like in today’s world, and what do I see as the differences between how I view it and how someone else might view it,” Hohl explains. This piece took inspiration from Allen Ginsburg’s iconic poem “Howl.”

As a member of Outspoken, Masters’ spoken-word poetry group, Hohl has enjoyed sharing her poetry through the spoken medium, and she also noted that she enjoys the camaraderie of the group. “Everyone in the group is really great and really supportive, it’s a lot about sharing what you are writing and what you are creating.”

In 2018, Hohl won a Scholastic Award Silver Key for her poem, "Stairway." She also won an Honorable Mention in the flash fiction category for "Behind the Mask," and an Honorable Mention for her short story, "The Ocean is Always Moving."

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