Returning to my High School

A few weeks ago my first book, Things I Should Have Said was finally published. I knew I wanted to donate some copies to local libraries, and the first that came to my mind was my old High School, Henry Foss in Tacoma. I emailed the Principal and asked if I could send her a few copies.

She was so happy to hear about my book, and it just so happened that the IB Seniors (from the same classes I had taken 10 years before) were currently studying poetry. She asked if I would like to come in and speak with them.

Yesterday was that day! I put on my old Falcons sweatshirt and headed down to Tacoma. It was a bit surreal walking through the halls again. I swear to you, it even smelled exactly the same. It was so good to see some of my old teachers and to see all of the students and their HFHS pride!

I was lucky enough to be able to talk to two of the English classes, as well as an hour seminar for any students who wished to attend. My goal was not to make all the students love poetry- I knew that would be a very hard sell. Instead, I told them a little bit about what got me into writing, how important self-expression is, especially for teens, and how they should find what they are passionate about and go for it full-force.

We wrote haikus and tankas, and some of the students were even brave enough to get up on stage and share their poems. We even created a hashtag for social media so they could share their writing with each other on websites like Facebook and Twitter.

It was such an honor to return to my alma matter and get to speak with the students. I hope that I made a difference in some way, and I can not wait to see where these talented kids are headed next.

Thank you so much to Foss for having me. I look forward to our continued partnership!

-J.M. Degamo