Ella McGrail’s reaction to being selected the first New Hampshire Youth Poet Laureate can be described as a fairly standard teenage reaction. “Oh, this is a joke,” the Portsmouth High School senior recalls in an interview about her new appointment. “Are you kidding me?”

But her tender age and surprise at the honor don’t do justice to her deep credentials in the New Hampshire writing community. She’s a published poet and youth activist who writes a blog called Civic Teen for Seacoast Online. She’s also a public speaker, and was personally selected by New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alice Fogel for the new post, which she will hold through August. Future Youth Poets Laureate will apply for the position.

Fogel says the idea behind the position was to pick a high school-aged student who has shown commitment as a creative writer and thinker, is an advocate for others, and can give a voice to the concerns of young people. “Ella is a remarkable young woman who fills all these criteria in her own unique, humble, and strong way,” says Fogel.

Given that McGrail has been writing “as long as I’ve been aware of myself” and wrote her first novel by the age of 13, she seems a good pick to provide direction for the program and give other young writers an example and role model. But her technique and work ethic could be an example for adult writers as well.

“The more you write, the better you become,” she says. “I’m largely self-taught, but I read a lot and love to read so I know how it’s supposed to sound. I write every day or at least journal every day. I carry a notebook everywhere.”

As a teenager, McGrail has strong thoughts about a writer’s life. Take writers’ block. “I’m skeptical of writer’s block; it seems like an excuse for people that just don’t feel like writing,” she says with a laugh. “I mean I love it, but you’re not going to always be in that golden stage. The rest of the time is slogging through what sounds right and that’s where the real mechanics come in.”

McGrail says her poetry—a cross between political activism and fantastical imagery—owes its style to New Hampshire. “I love living in a state where people care about big issues and defend them,” she says. “Much of my writing and definitely some of my poetry has been inspired by the passion of New Hampshirites defending their beliefs. It is also a state of incredible natural beauty. I spend most of my time on the seacoast and find a bottomless source of inspiration in both the ocean and the beauty of the Portsmouth area.”

While McGrail writes enjoys other kinds of writing, she finds poetry’s dual nature particularly alluring. “Wonderful poetry and fun poetry can be written about things that aren’t your beating heart in your hand,” she says. “But things we love and things that make us scared are likely the same things. With love comes fear. Along with something you’re deeply passionate about comes fear of having it taken from you. Pain and love can be interchangeable.”

“Watercolor”
I would have been an impressionist painting
Resting in a field, perhaps
Or looking out through a kitchen window,
Absent-minded
Fingers curved and head tilted
As I let myself slip from the task at hand
Into church bells and distance
I would have to be an impressionist work
Because I appear so unfocused to myself
Features and convictions unclear
Truth ripples from water lily into reflection
Much better then, to be unsure
Where my hair ends and the clouds begin
Where my apron melts into grass
Checkered cloth becomes shadow
Villages fade into light and mist
Yes, emotions are best described by these unsolid brushstrokes
But it is comforting
This message in the softly painted smiles of blurred women
That I may remain beautiful
A better artwork for my uncertainty.

Ella McGrail – New Hampshire Youth Poet Laureate
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Website

The post Meet New Hampshire’s First Youth Poet Laureate appeared first on Take Magazine.

As well-intentioned as your best friend, co-worker, or father-in-law may be, at the end of the day their book suggestions just might not be cutting it for you. We get it. Luckily, a handful of esteemed poets laureate from around New England have got your literary backs. Not only have they enlightened us on what they’re up to this year, but they’ve also graciously divulged their literary picks for the season. Move aside those tomes gathering dust on your nightstand: these tantalizing reads just might make you wish for a few more snow days.

Chard deNiord

It’s hard to know when Vermont Poet Laureate Chard deNiord even has time to read! But here’s what tops his list when he’s not giving readings around the state, teaching at Providence College, writing his next collection, or collaborating on an up-and-coming anthology Anonymoi with New Hampshire Laureate Alice Fogel.

 Chard deNiord’s top reading picks:
The Elephant’s Journey by Jose Saramago
Troubling Love by Elena Ferrante
The Last Shift by Philip Levine
Fast by Jorie Graham

Stu Kestenbaum

Hailing from Vacationland, Stuart Kestenbaum has been reading Maine-based poetry every week on Maine Public Radio as a part of his project, Poems from Here, in addition to writing his own work and producing his podcast Make/Time where he interviews creative makers and thinkers.

Stuart Kestenbaum’s top reading picks:
Our Only World, a collection of essays by Wendell Berry
Otherwise, a book of poems by Jane Kenyon
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

Tina Cane

Recently appointed Rhode Island Laureate, Tina Cane is heroically bringing poetry to young people through her organization Writers-in-the-Schools, RI and relishing in the release of her latest book, Dear Elena: Letters for Elena Ferrante.

Tina Cane’s top reading picks:
The Car Thief by Theodore Weesner
Night Sky With Exit Wounds, poems by Ocean Vuong
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone, by Olivia Laing
Why Poetry by Matthew Zapruder

Alice Fogel

Alice Fogel, New Hampshire Laureate, has her sights set on an active 2017, both physically and politically. She hopes to continue hiking segments of the Appalachian Trail, and when she’s back in the state, she’ll be getting involved with literacy and refugees while also preparing for the spring release of her new book, A Doubtful House.

Alice Fogel’s picks:
The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
Landscape and Memory by Simon Schama
Black Square by Tadeusz Dabrowski
Disinheritance by John Sibley Williams

Emma Young

Representing the town of West Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard is poet and printmaker Emma Young. Her upcoming book of poetry, Adamantine, will be finished in 2017, and, in typical Emma Young style, will be completely handmade, designed, bound, and printed on her nineteenth-century printing press.

Emma Young’s picks:
Songs of S. by Robert Seydel
The Woman Who Borrowed Memories by Tove Jansson
My Journey To Lhasa by Alexandra David-Neel

So there you have it. A list of reads from the most reputable source we could think of—a group of active, engaged New Englanders who have chosen to surround themselves with words for a living. So get crackin’. That groundhog says winter ain’t over yet.

Top photo Emma Young | Photography by Hannah Marlin

The post Welcome to Your Winter Reading List appeared first on Take Magazine.