The Student Publishing Program

Read last year's questions that teen writers needed answered the most - and former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser’s answers to them!

Read the teen poems we’ve already begun publishing alongside poems by Pulitzer Prize-winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser!

The Student Publishing Program has been selected as one of the top 12 creative writing programs in the country. Learn why in our program background section.

Get free access to original writing and publishing support from many of our nation's top educators, experts and writers, including Poet Laureates and six Pulitzer Prize-winners. Free audio, video and Podcasts of poetry slams and interview epiphanies.

See why so many high schools nationwide have already sent written participation interest for the upcoming school year.

The online literary magazine of Massachusetts' Lexington High School, where we've successfully piloted SPP for five years.

Questions or comments? Get in touch with us here.

Ted Kooser

New Cap

Brown corduroy,
the earflaps tied on top,
the same size cap he bought
when he was young,
but at eighty-six
a head’s a smaller thing,
the hair gone fine and thin,
less meat to the scalp,
and not so much
ambition packed inside.
He squints from under the bill
as if the world
were a long ways off,
and when he tips it back
to open up his face
to conversation,
it looks so loose
you think that one of them,
the cap or he,
might blow away.

Amy K.

Model

Cut me
Make me beautiful
Stuff me
Make me sexy
Stitch me
Make me perfect
Paint me
Make me pretty
Dye me
Make me desirable
Dress me
Make me fashionable
Stretch me
Make me tall
Make me what they want

Amy K. is a high school student.

Elliot Ryan

Simple Nirvana

Iridescent glows float on the horizon,
Lens flares in a digital art piece,
Will-‘o’-the-wisps leading with dance.
I lay in the dark field by myself.
It’s the dead of night, but starlight fills my eyes,
And it is as good as the sun to me.

Flat land off in all directions,
I can see to the end of the world from here,
But why would I want that,
When I can just lie in the tall grass,
And enjoy the cool breeze,
Breathing like waves crashing,
And taking all my worries,
As it recedes into the dark shadows of night.

Stars set the sky aglow with pure light,
Covering the sky like corn on a field.
The beautiful glowing foxfire continues its dance,
Strangely mystical and otherworldly.
Summer heat had retreated to night’s cooling touch,
And the aches it left ease away soothingly.

This is truly nowhere.
This is Nirvana,
This is happiness,
In its most intimate and primal form.
I would like to stay here,
Stay right here for the rest of eternity.
Right here with the stars.

Elliot Ryan’s poem will appear in Lexington High School’s Online Literary Journal, 2:25 PM, by The Student Publishing Program, a free creative writing program that gives students the confidence and skills to write for a wider audience, and then publishes and promotes student books with 100% of the profits going back to each school.

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