Melrose High School Senior Wins "Poetry on the T" Contest

Amanda Shu, a senior from Melrose High School, was named one of the two student winners of Mass Poetry’s recent Poetry on the T contest. Her poem, “Comprendre,” will be displayed on at least 7 MBTA Red Line trains all during the month of May. Describing her poem, she writes, ”I originally conceived this poem to be a glimpse into the immigrant experience, but it soon developed into an exploration of the barrier between the newly-immigrated and the descendants of immigrants. The use of languages in the poem is meant to create a sense of alienation and disconnectedness, and yet it evokes the same experience of being an outsider that unites all readers of the poem.”

In addition, she has been invited to read her poem at the Mass Poetry Festival in Salem, Mass. on May 1st. You can read her poem and all the details at <www.masspoetry.org/contestwinners>.