>> Announcer: From the Library of Congress, in Washington, DC. [ No audio ] >> Well, good afternoon. Welcome to the Library of Congress. I'm John Cole. I'm the director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The Center is the part of the library that promotes books and reading. We do so through -- around the country, through national networks of book -- of reading promoters. There are states -- every state in the Union has a state Center for the Book. We also are involved with the National Book Festival, which has been held on the National Mall since 2001. The first lady, Laura Bush, brought to the Library of Congress the National Book Festival, suggesting that it be her Texas State Book Festival go national. And we were very happy to be able to be a partner in that. And there are many videotapes of authors from the Book Festival that are available in the Young Reader Center, here at the Library of Congress, which is a relatively new part of the library. And I think many of you have visited it. Or if you have not, you will be visiting it. We're proud to have it. We're also especially happy to have the Capitol Hill Day School people here, students sixth- and seventh-graders, for this partic- -- I'm sorry, and eighth-graders? Fill me in. What? Do I have it right? >> Audience: Seventh and eighth. >> John Cole: Seventh and eighth. Okay. Sorry. >> Audience: No sixth-graders [laughs]. >> John Cole: Because we have a special relationship with you. I think many of you may remember David Kresh. David Kresh was a Library of Congress employee. He was a member of our reference staff. But most importantly, he was a poet. And he had a special relationship with your school, and that's one of the reasons we're pleased to have you as an audience for our program, which is called Inspiring Stories from River of Words. You're going to learn about River of Words from Pamela Michael, who is the founding -- one of the founders of the River of Words project. But I'm going to just say a word about the history of River of words. It is an art and environmental project that promotes art and poems about the environment. And so we thought, with the David Kresh connection, it was especially important that you get a sense of a poetry project that's aimed at you and at young people. It covers students around the world, and from all ages. And they write poems and are inspired -- inspire art work -- are inspired to create art work relating to the environment, through this particular project. The Center for the Book has been involved for 15 years with this contest for young people. And we have often the national awards ceremony, which honors all people who've entered, but in particular, those who have been designated to get awards here at the Library of Congress. And last year, we had the contest, and Pamela works with a poet named Robert Hass, who was the poet laureate of the United States in 1995-1996. And she and Mr. Hass created this. And Mr. Hass and Pamela are the people who are really the hosts of the ceremony. And these are photographs of last year's ceremony that show off both the artwork and published some of the poems of the winning poetry. So this is a way that we can honor those who entered the contest, and also show off some of the artwork. And the same thing has happened in a couple of wonderful books about River of Words. This one was recently published, in 2008, and it's called Young Poets and Artists on the Nature of Things. And it's edited by Pamela Michael -- who will introduce the program -- and Robert Hass. And a similar book was published back in 2003. And we use these books to help promote the program and explain what it's all about. But the best part is, of course, that we can actually show off the artwork This has been quite a weekend -- or a week, really -- for the Center for the Book. We have had people here from all states, who are our state representatives. Some of them are here in the audience today, and we're pleased to have them here, as well. And last night, at St. Michael -- St. Patrick's Church, in Washington, DC, there was a concert. And a women's chorus called Women Sing actually put on a program with the Peabody Children's Chorus from Baltimore, and included in part of it were poems, done by kids, put to music. And this was just part of the program. But it also gives you a sense of what can be done with this wonderful outreach program that promotes books, literacy, reading, and art. I'm going to leave it to Pamela to explain and to introduce our two guests, except you now know that we have this as an annual contest. And my little teaser to you will be that the two speakers today, who are going to tell their stories about being winners of the River of Words, were together as very young men. They were contest winners. And the last time I saw them was in the year 2000, when they were here, 11 years ago, as young winners of the River of Words contest. Now, I'm going to introduce Pamela Michael, who is the cofounder, to tell you more about the program, and to tell you more about our speakers. Let's give her a hand. Shall we? [ Applause ] >> Pamela Michael: Hi, everybody. Well, I'm really excited to have students here, because you're the ones we're trying to reach and to inspire. So, welcome, welcome all. And I'm not going to talk too much, because I really want today to be about El' Jay and Kevin, our two young men. But I just want to tell you a tiny bit about -- about River of Words and about what we hope it offers to you and to your teachers and your communities. Our idea is to get your imagination working about the places you live. It's not just about the environment. It's about your own environment, your own community. Who lives there? Who lived there a hundred years ago? 150 years ago? Where your water comes from. Where your garbage goes. What kind of trees grow on your streets? What birds live there all year round? What birds come and go? What grows there? How you get around. What's -- transportation is there. What are the challenge? What are the problems? Because you're going to be on -- you're going to be the stewards of this earth, sooner than you think. And unfortunately, we're going to be leaving you quite a mess. So our idea is to get your imaginations working hard and giving you a lot of information and a lot of inspiration, so that you can live there fully and richly, and raise your own children, do your own creative works -- just let me stop a second. Is this going to be -- keep going? Okay. Sorry. So, Kevin and El' Jay, you want to stand up? El' Jay Johnson is one of our winners [laughs, applause]. And this is Kevin Maher [applause, laughs]. You want to point -- you want to point out who you were on that picture over there, both of you, in 2000? [Laughs] And Kevin is from -- was then from and is now from Lafayette, Louisiana. And he's here with his parents and his aunt. And El' Jay is from Washington, DC. Was then, is now. And he's here with his dad, Lewis [assumed spelling]. Also in the audience -- I just wanted to point out -- this is our board member, Jane Rogers, who's here from California [applause]. And board -- and this is Ben Grumbles, who's our board member here from Washington, DC [applause]. And kids, I just want to say, at the end of this, we're going to give you a chance to ask Kevin and El' Jay questions. You might have questions about, you know, their writing process, their goals, you know -- anything that you -- that -- so be thinking of it, when you hear the them talking, if it provokes any questions. We'll give you a chance at the end to ask them. Let's see. I want to also invite you to enter the River of Words contest. It's free. You can enter as many times as you want. There's some good ideas and tips and guidelines on our website, riverofwords.org. Unfortunately, the grand prize is a trip to Washington, DC, so [laughs] -- but there are other things, too. And it's also quite an honor. So don't let that stop you. This is a bigger picture of [laughs] -- yeah. We're not -- we're not in touch with all -- because there are tens and tens of thousands of kids over the years who've participated. So we're not in touch with all of them, but we're lucky enough to stay in touch with quite a few. And now, let me bring up El' Jay Johnson. I want to just tell how we found him again. He's one of the kids we didn't stay in touch with. And I was out at Watershed Poetry Festival in California last fall. And we had some of our River of Words kids reading, and we had a booth and whatnot. And there was an adult poet onstage -- a writer, actually -- read -- talking about his recent book, which is called "Can Poetry Save the Earth". And I heard him say El' Jay Johnson, and so -- and I wasn't really paying attention until then. And I thought, El' Jay. And then he started reading El' Jay's poem, which apparently was in his new book, which I didn't know. And so, I went running up afterwards and said, I'm from River of Words, blah, blah, blah. And he said, you know, it's funny. I was on NPR -- National Public Radio -- talking about my book. And I mentioned El' Jay Johnson, and I got an e-mail from him a couple of days later, in DC. So he gave me El' Jay's contact information, and I contacted El' Jay and asked him to be here today. So, it's kind of amazing, modern-day story of how people fall apart and then reconnect, and we're really happy to have found him again. El' Jay just turned 20. He was -- you were eight, El' Jay, when you were honored? And he's had quite a journey. [Whispers] Hi there. Come on in. He's had quite a journey since then, and he's going to tell you a little bit about it. And then Kevin will talk to you about his experience with River of Words. >> Push the mike back a bit. >> John Cole: So bring El' Jay -- >> Pamela Michael: Okay. El' Jay, come on up [applause]. El' Jay Johnson. [ Applause, inaudible setting up mike ] >> El' Jay Johnson: Okay, now first of all, I would like everyone to do something for me. Everybody close your eyes, for one second. Just close your eyes. Okay? All right. Just imagine Waking up one day Looking out your window and starting to say... No bad smells No smoke No noise No trash No crowded playgrounds Basketball courts Or corners loaded with teens No bad words on the walls and sidewalks No junk No muddy waters No hunger No porn No repression No envy No name calling No guns No fear No pain No murder No drugs No dead birds because of No dead grass because of No dead trees because of No dead people because of No place to play because of Clean up Care Help each other Play Go outside and play Run Jump Skip Ride Smile Be happy! Be safe! And just imagine being a kid Living by the Anacostia River. You all may open your eyes now. Good afternoon. My name is El' Jay Johnson, and I stand before you proudly as a former member -- a former winner of the River of Words Anacostia Watershed Prize. On April 29th, 2000, I stood in this very building -- a lot shorter, of course [laughter] -- and recited a poem entitled "Just Imagine". What was just the entry of thoughts and feelings that I had at the age of eight has turned out to become more than I ever expected. Never did I expect that I would be standing before you, almost 12 years later. How and why am I standing here? I'm glad you asked the question. In September of 2010, after a long day of work, I decided to do what other teens normally do, and I, you know, searched my name in Google. And I didn't really expect for too much to pop up. As I typed in El' Jay Johnson, the first thing that I noticed was River of Words 2000. As I carelessly clicked on the link, I noticed a huge picture -- that same picture right there -- and I, along with 11 other very familiar faces. When I continued to scroll down, there was another huge picture of Robert Hass, Robert Bowen [assumed spelling] and I. As I looked at these vintage pictures of me, memories just started coming very, very fast. I began to reminisce on the tour that we had of this historical building; the luncheon and the congregation between the winners, where I stuffed my face with those good, good, good chocolate and macadamia cookies that we had [laughter]; the conversation between Ian Header and I -- he's actually in the middle. And everything just came racing back to me. I also remember sitting with my science teacher, Miss Patricia Ann Goodnight, who is now deceased. And I just remember her smiling and telling everybody, oh, that's -- that's -- I'm his teacher, I'm his teacher. I also remember telling -- I also remember my mom and my dad telling me to pay attention during the ceremony. They actually gave us a gift bag, and there was a children's book inside of the gift bag, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. I just had to read it right then and there. I will never forget that day. As I continued to look under my name, I came across a link that read "Could Poetry Save the Earth", by a Stanford professor, John Felstiner, on NPR.org. I began to browse the site, and soon I read a passage that read as follows: We issued Felstiner a challenge. Pick just one poem that could save the world, if everybody could read it. He chose "The Well Rising", but he could not help to pick some runner-ups. To my surprise, one of the runner-ups was from Washington, DC, and his age was eight. And come to find out, it was me, El' Jay Johnson. After reading the blog, I decided to take some initiative and e-mail John Felstiner, to personally thank him for choosing me and my poem as one of his favorites. I thought to myself, he is not going to respond. He is a professor at Stanford. I'm sure he barely has time to even think, let alone send back an e-mail to little old me. I'm not ashamed to admit that he definitely proved me wrong. He sent me the e-mail on September 9th, 2010, with a reply. As we chatted via e-mail I asked how he came across my poem, "Just Imagine". He told me that back in 2000, he wrote a short piece on Robert Bernard Hass, who had been a grad student at Stanford, around 1965. And that's the same year that he arrived there as an assistant Professor. The short piece was actually for Stanford's English department's annual newsletter. At that time, he was just beginning to write the chapters of the book that he had in mind, which is now called "Can Poetry Save the Earth". About three years later, he decided to include a chapter on Bob, which also included a mention of my poem. Ultimately, he left out Robert Hass's chapter, but stated that he much wanted to keep me in. He also stated that he has been sharing my poem, and among -- among many other poems, with many audiences around the country. He said that they were always heartened to hear "Just Imagine", as he gives it a lively moment. One of those was a gathering of many hundreds at Harvard University. As I read with honor in my heart, and with my e-mail [inaudible] prepared to respond, he answered my anticipated question, by saying that he would be glad to send me a copy of his book. A month later, I received a hard copy of the book, with an autograph. I am glad to say that John Felstiner kept his word. After I thought that the surprises were finished, I was definitely wrong again. A month later, I received a call from an unknown number. My gut told me to ignore the call, but my heart told me to answer it. Surprisingly, it was Pamela Michael, Project Director of River of Words. Of course, I had the same question for Ms. Pamela when -- that I had the same -- the same question that I had for Pamela is the same question I asked John Felstiner: How did you find me? After all of these years. After she laughed, she told me that she met Professor Felstiner at a event. Apparently, she heard John Felstiner reading my poem, and after which she walked up to him, like she said, and he gave her my information and let her know that I had contacted him a few months back. And to make a long story short, here I am again. I must say that it feels great to be among familiar faces, all grown up now. A lot has changed since I was eight. Since then, I have attended Holy Comforter/St. Cyprian Middle School, and Princeton Collegiate Academy public charter school, which are both in Washington, DC. Sad to say, my mom died in 2008, on December 21st, due to lung failure. During that time, I began to lose hope, as time went by. My [inaudible] for school and for writing began to decline. But after I talked to my father and my godfather, [inaudible] Jones, I realized that my mom would be here, no matter what, and she will always be here with me. As the year got closer to graduation, I began buckling down, and my grades started to improve. I am proud to say that I graduated from high school and received a $50,000 DC Achievement Scholarship. I attended Livingstone College, in Salisbury, North Carolina, and then transferred to the Community College of the University of District of Columbia. As far as writing, my poetry has led me to songwriting. After River of Words, I began to write more and more. It became a part of my life. My daily schedule now consists of eating, sleeping, and writing. I have won numerous poetry contests since River of Words, but this contest will forever be my Number 1 favorite achievement in writing. It gave me the opportunity to meet young individuals from all over the world who had the same passion as me: Writing. It allowed me to open my mind and to see that there's more to life than just what's in front of me. River of Words gave me the opportunity to speak on behalf of not only myself, but for many African-American teens who saw what I saw in my community. Poetry gave me the opportunity to speak my mind. And to be honest, poetry definitely saved my life. Writing kept me sane, in the midst of destruction around me. Poetry gave me a second chance. And thanks to River of Words, my voice has been heard through "Just Imagine". A poem that was written at the age of eight is still affecting my life. And now I'm 20. I admit that I've had some setbacks, since I stood before you, since I was 12 -- or since I was eight years old. I witnessed the death of many friends since then. I've seen trees that stood once tall in my community die with no hope. Every "no" in "Just Imagine" has become reality, but I still have hope. I have more hope today than ever, because of the art I have the honor of standing in front of you today, and all because of the fact that someone, a decade later, felt the way that I felt -- somewhere heard my scream of change -- and he said, Hey, I feel the same way, too. Somehow they knew that "Just Imagine" had a hidden message. That hidden message was help, something needs to be done. Listen to me. And luckily, they listened. The world needs more programs like River of Words. The name of it means a lot more than you think. I speak on behalf of Kevin and I, when I say that it feels great to be remembered 12 years later. I know that he feels the same way that I do. To know that words and art of the year 2000 winners are being remembered today is definitely an honor. No one knows the past that me and Kevin have crossed since our younger days. No one knows what we have seen, good or bad. All I know is that the current of my word vein is still flowing 12 years later. I may never get this opportunity to swim and congregate with my fellow poetry lovers, such as yourself, again. So I will leave by saying this. Poetry can not only save the earth. It can save lives. Because poetry has no boundaries. There are no chains, no restrictions to hold us back. Through writing, we express our feelings, our love, our voices. Everybody needs to grab a pen. Let -- let us speak fluently, with the lives and the lines that shape in your mind. Be free. Learn, live, and write. Because you know what? You never know who's reading. Thank you. Applause. [ Applause ] >> Pamela Michael: Sorry, there's not a box of Kleenex at every seat [laughter]. Well. Thank you so much, El' Jay. Oh, my goodness! [Laughs] Well. Well, kids [laughs]! I hope you took that to heart. I know you did. Now we're going to bring up Kevin Maher. I want to tell you a little bit about Kevin and how we've stayed in touch with him and his family over the years, a bit. We first met Kevin in 2000, when he was poetry winner -- you were Category 3? Yeah, it was -- we have four age group categories, in 7 -- grades 7 through 12. And he came with his parents. And his mom, Harriet, is a teacher. And his dad is actually a professor, too. And we just kind of hit it off [laughs]. And his mom and her friend Connie McDonald, who's also a teacher in Louisiana, came to Washington again in 2005, when Connie was named Teacher of the Year, for River of Words. And then, Harriet and Connie wrote a wonderful educator's guide for us that accompanies the Milkweed book that John showed you. The -- this one: "Teachers You Should Know". This has a wonderful curriculum guide that accompanies it, and you actually don't really need the book, in order to utilize the activities. It's about 75 pages, and it's downloadable, either on our website or on the Milkweed Publications website. And there's some fabulous poetry writing activities. And then we went to Connie and Harriet, and I did a workshop for a -- English teachers' convention and write -- anyway, we've managed to stay in touch. And I did work -- a couple of workshops in Louisiana, and I spent Mardi Gras with his family this year, in fact. So, I've seen Kevin -- not continuously through the years -- but I've seen him, like you, I just saw him today, again, for the first time. And so I know a little bit more about your path than I know about El' Jay's. But it's been wonderful to see the way you've developed as a writer and as a person, Kevin, and I want you to share that now with the rest of the audience. So this is Kevin Maher. Oh, I should say, too. He was not only a grand prize winner in 2000, but he was a finalist in 2002. He is also a wonderful artist and this was his winning piece from 2002, which is art with a little poem that he wrote. He's going to read you his -- back, there we go. He's going to read you his winning poem and talk to you about his life since then. Kevin Maher, from Lafayette, Louisiana [applause]. [ No audio ] >> Kevin Maher: I'd like to start with a poem by William Carlos Williams, called "Paterson". And in it, he writes many ideas which I think are the core of River of Words. Paterson's a 300-page poem that follows the flow of his local river, the Passaic, in New Jersey. Essentially, Paterson's about having more meaningful connection to the world. Williams saw modern people as disconnected, divorced from Earth. As a part of the river, Williams saw the falls as uninterpreted experience that people encounter. He sought to bridge the divide between people and the land, with his writing. He wrote about Paterson that, "The noise of the falls seemed to me to be a language in which we were and are seeking. And my search, as I looked about, became a struggle to interpret and use this language." This is the substance of the poem. I'll now read from Paterson. This passage is set at the falls. A bud, forever green, Tight curled upon the pavement Perfect in juice and substance But divorced, divorced from its fellows Fall in love Divorce is the sign of knowledge in our time Divorce, divorce. And with the roar of the river Forever in our ears, our ears, Inducing sleep and silence The roar of eternal sleep Challenging our waking Unpledged desire Irresponsible dream Holder to the hand in stone And ready, challenging our waking. The aim of River of Words, like Williams's, is to have a more meaningful connection to the world, to have more than a knee-jerk response to the world that's pretty. It isn't a contest that looks for flowery writing about sunsets. It challenges our view of the world and sustains meaningful connections to place. This certainly happened to me. I'll give you my story. I grew up in a family that was nature-savvy. We would spend each summer tent-camping in national parks. National parks are really under-utilized, or, you know, Europe might have the culture, but we've got all the nature, for sure, so -- I grew up to love the amazing in nature: The marsh and caverns of Zion Canyon, the weird tribal hooters of Bryce Canyon. I learned to enjoy traveling in nature. Even if you had to eat beans for breakfast, or chipmunks ate through your sleeping bag, it was all right. My family, who is in the audience, gave me this gift, and I can much appreciate it. I consider this wealth without poems, now, because I'm financially independent [laughter]. I also grew up fishing, hunting, and crabbing in Louisiana. But that was not as interesting as the splendor of national parks. I looked for the amazing in nature elsewhere. I filled my pockets with rocks in Texas and brought them back to Louisiana. We don't have rocks in Louisiana [laughter]. I started writing from an early age. My mom had an annual summer camp that I would go to. My mom told me about River of Words, and I read the poetry on the website. I read about what -- much of the writing that had come before me, and was humbled by it. Many interesting poems I encountered, including Amazon Slough, by Aaron Galls [assumed spelling], who was then 12 years old. The start of it begins: Amazon slough watershed All summer long they come With or without dogs In loose, slow-moving bunches or alone Hiking the steep, narrow path Past the blackberries Past the stream that is a little more than a trickle now In the hot depths of summer. This poem is not about a sunset over the Grand Canyon, but more along the lines of a sunset over a shrimp boat, for me. After reading much of the future of art and writing, you see the world with a radically different lens. River of Words allowed me to appreciate others' appreciation of nature and to -- motivated me to appreciate my local areas alongside. One of my own poems, Rockefeller, I wrote after reading this. Rockefeller Wildlife Preserve, Mid-August. The air is moist The water bittersweet A southern gulf breeze sighs. And cicadas click their luminous song. I smell the death scent of beached gars And see the dreamy haze of oil and water Nearby, an alligator stares with tabby eyes A great heron startles from its march bed. Standing on the riprap I peer at the water And slowly hoist the turkey neck on string A bluepoint crab grips the bait I slyly dip the net A good two feet away And scoop at the crustacean without warning And drop it into a bucket To meet many friends Gifts of the Mississippi. The day has reached its climax And we'll sleep through the heat Hiding in the wax myrtles A snowy egret, white plumage glistening Glides into the Roseau cane. Now, in the short term, River of Words brought much temporary happiness, as El' Jay pointed out. It was, you know, profound to me, in the short term. Of course, it was a big boost to my ego. I was fascinated by the exhibits I saw, while I was here, in the Smithsonian, and -- although y'all have probably seen these -- and which all seemed to be geared to astonishing a 12-year-old. During the trip to DC, we were also scheduled to canoe in the Anacostia, where we saw ospreys and a lot of local fauna. Now, my experience with River of Words has also fostered something that lasted longer. I've learned about the land and became more attached to the area. I've learned about environmental issues: Disappearing marsh, urban runoff, endangered and invasive species, the side effects of human population growth. I better realize the joy of local beauty. I made long bicycle trips throughout Louisiana, and then Mississippi, biking the back roads, where they let the pit bulls loose [laughter]. Hitchhiking when I needed to, sleeping in ditches and garbage bags, I wrote more. I had a girlfriend that met me, because she read my poetry, went out searching for me. These things happen [laughter]. River of Words had a powerful impact on my life. Eleven years later, I still write often. I've graduate -- I've graduated with a 60-page honors thesis in creative writing just now. And I still plan long bike trips and found authors who share my sense of pleasure in local writing, like William Carlos Williams, who I started reading a minute ago. And I'd like to end on that note, with his Paterson. And this is also set at the falls, a continuation of what we have -- I was speaking of. Two half-grown girls Hailing hallowed Easter An inversion of all out-of-doors weaving About themselves From the heavy air Whirls of thick translucencies pour down Cleaving them away Shut from the light Bareheaded Their clear hair dangling Two disparate among the pouring waters of their hair And which nothing is molten Two bound by an instinct To be the same Ribbons cut from a piece Cerise pink Binding their hair One willow twig pulled from a low leaf Bush in full bud in her hand Where it yields for a moon Holds it, the gathered spray Upright in the -- upright in the air The pouring air strokes the soft fur Ain't they beautiful If we can, faced with this rush of an uninterpreted experience at the falls, let's see if we can find a more meaningful connection than "ain't they beautiful" [laughter]. [ Applause ] >> John Cole: I'm going to ask Kevin -- I'm going to ask you to read your poem again, Rockefeller, so we have that distinctly in our minds. Would you do that? >> Kevin Maher: Sure. [ Setting up ] >> Kevin Maher: Rockefeller Wildlife Preserve, Mid-August. The air is moist The water bittersweet A southern gulf breeze sighs Laughing gulls call And cicadas click their luminous song. I smell the death scent of beached gars And see the dreamy haze of oil on water Nearby, an alligator stares with tabby eyes A great heron startles from its marsh bed. Standing on the riprap I peer at the water And slowly hoist the turkey neck on string A bluepoint crab grips the bait I slyly dip the net A good two feet away And scoop up the crustacean without warning And drop it into friends -- Drop it into a bucket To meet many friends Gifts of the Mississippi. The day has reached its climax And we'll sleep through the heat Hiding in the wax myrtles A snowy egret, white plumage glistening Glides into the Roseau cane. Thank you [applause]. >> John Cole: Well, I want to thank Elroy and Kevin for a wonderful -- >> El' Jay. >> John Cole: El' Jay -- I'm sorry -- for a wonderful performance, for sharing their lives with us. And we do have just a few minutes, if any of the kids might have a question for either of our poets. Are there some questions that people might have? Okay. [Inaudible] Why don't you both come on up, and Pamela, would you like to sort of be here and moderate? >> Pamela Michael: I've been -- gifts to give them, too, at the end. >> John Cole: Thank you. >> Pamela Michael: Thank you, John. Yes. >> Question from audience: What kind of inspired you [inaudible]? >> John Cole: Repeat the question. >> Sorry, can't year you. >> Question from audience: What did -- how did you find out you liked poetry [inaudible]? >> Pamela Michael: The question is, what inspired you to do poetry? How did you know you liked to do poetry? Why don't you both come to the microphone to answer that. >> Kevin Maher: Well, I had the -- in my case, I had kind of a lifelong connection to it, because I grew up reading a lot of it, and I grew up writing a bit. So, I kind of always liked it. But River of Words really cemented the local aspect and, you know, finding what I appreciate, you know, not in some romantic version, but is what exists or, you know, what I encounter every day. >> El' Jay Johnson: For me, it started out when I was very, very young. I loved to read autobiographies. And sooner or later, I got to the point where I just liked -- I loved rhymes. I loved rhymes. And I just came to the point where my community and what I saw around me, I just decided to grab a pen and write. Actually, the most easiest thing for me was to not think at all, to feel. When you feel, the pen flows as -- it just flows so fluently. There's no thought process. Everything has emotion. So, if you have that emotion, write it down. And it will come out, however way you -- however way you write it. So just don't think, and feel. And that has worked for me. >> Pamela Michael: Thank you both. Any other questions? Yes. >> Question from audience: I have a question for El' Jay. Before you said you like to write songs and stuff. Like, do you do rap and stuff? >> El' Jay Johnson: I do songwriting. I cover all genres [laughs]. >> Pamela Michael: Let me just repeat the question. With El' Jay, the questioner said she knew El' Jay liked songs. Does he write songs and whatnot? So -- >> El' Jay Johnson: Yes. I actually cover all genres. And right now I'm actually doing music production, as well. So, it feels good to actually compose the music and write the lyrics to it, because you know exactly how you want it to be done. So, yeah, I cover everything from pop, rock, blues -- anything you can think of, I can -- I can write it. >> Pamela Michael: Any other questions? >> Question from audience: Since you wrote -- write about outside, [inaudible] write about what's happening, is that what you like to write about, more than anything else? >> Pamela Michael: The question is, do they like to write about the outside more than anything else? [ Whispering, laughter ] >> El' Jay Johnson: Actually, Just Imagine was one of the first poems that I actually wrote about outside. And this is where it got me, so [laughter] -- more than anything, I like to write about my environment. Like I said before, I was born and raised in Washington, DC, so most of my poetry comes from events that I have actually occurred in my life and situations that I've actually been through. So it's more of a -- I write more about my lifestyle, more than just sticking to one topic. >> Kevin Maher: I agree with El' Jay, here, that, you know, political issues and -- there's kind of things that are very important to me. But as far as something to write about, I find it very fulfilling to write outside, because I enjoy being there in the first place, you know. So it's -- being outside is fun to be, and it's fun to write there. >> Question from audience: [Inaudible] >> Could you say it again? >> Pamela Michael: Oh, I see. The question is, if they had not won the contest, would they be still writing poetry [laughs]? >> El' Jay Johnson: I believe that I would still be writing poetry. I don't think that I would be as open to writing it, and it actually made me feel comfortable with River -- winning River of Words, it actually made me feel comfortable, to -- as far as public speaking, as well. And that made me write more, because it gave me -- like you said -- it kind of gave me that ego -- okay, well, I wrote it. I can -- I can let the whole world hear it. So, yeah, if I didn't win, I don't think -- I think that I definitely would. >> Pamela Michael: Can you tell them a little bit about the signing of the Chesapeake Bay -- >> El' Jay Johnson: Oh. A couple of months after winning River of Words, I had got a -- I had got a letter in the mail from the mayor, and he asked for me to -- it was so long ago [laughs] -- it was the Chesapeake Bay signing, and he asked for me to walk with him side by side, and to represent Washington -- the District of Columbia with him. And I actually read my poem, and it was on different news sites and news, TV shows -- >> Pamela Michael: The signing of the Chesapeake Bay -- then you might know the Chesapeake Bay Agreement -- Agreement. And there were, like, 800 people, and Kennedys, and -- >> El' Jay Johnson: Right. >> Pamela Michael: -- and El' Jay read his poem [laughs]. >> Kevin Maher: I think I would be writing, if I'd never won. I don't know if it would be the same, because I think it kind of showed me, you know, how to appreciate what I've got, you know, here. And maybe I'd be writing about, you know, the weather on Venus or whatever else [laughter]. But I'd like to think that I eventually would have found the local as a topic. >> Pamela Michael: Yes. >> Question from audience: Have you won any other contests since River of Words? >> El' Jay Johnson: Actually, I have. >> Pamela Michael: Wait one second. The question is, have you won any other contests, other than River of Words. >> El' Jay Johnson: Actually, I have. A couple of them are -- were -- ones -- the main ones that I can remember was from the Omega Psi Phi fraternity talent hunt, and I had wrote a poem for that. And as far -- as well as the DC Childhood -- Early Childhood Action Program that they had. Once for that, as well. I've won a lot more for songwriting than anything, but it's still -- it's considered poetry to me, so that's that. >> Pamela Michael: Kevin? >> Kevin Maher: I've also won a bit more. [Inaudible] Magazine, I've had a poem published in. And just a few other odds and end places. But I think it also -- well, it's a great motivation. It's also -- you don't need the contest to like -- to write well. You can definitely publish -- or not publish -- your writing on your own. And I think that's just as fulfilling. But it's a great way of commanding attention, still, with a contest. >> Pamela Michael: Any other questions? I have a couple of gifts or bags [laughs]. Reach under here. So, you may have these, but you have a second copy, if you don't. This is -- >> El' Jay Johnson: Thank you. >> Pamela Michael: You're welcome. Our book. And then, El' Jay, I gave you this at lunch. El' Jay's poem is actually in this book. And did you even know that? You didn't know that -- >> El' Jay Johnson: [Inaudible] >> Pamela Michael: And this is from the Center for the Book: When Writers First Learned to Read. And it's really interesting little vignettes of famous writers about their first memories of reading. So that's from John and Center for the Book, for you. And then, these are CDs of kids reading the River of Words poems over the years, with some -- some of them have commentary by Robert Hass. And actually, I don't know whether either of you are on here. I don't think so. I'm not sure we were sophisticated enough to be taping in 2000 [laughs]. Oh, and then, this is -- we self-publish each year an anthology of the winning art and poetry. And this is the book from the year 2000 that Kevin and El' Jay were both in, which they do have, but there's another copy. And then, here's it is -- this is little note cards with River of Words art [laughs]. [ All talking, laughter ] >> Pamela Michael: And then, we have a relationship with a community center in Dete, Zimbabwe. We are an international program. River of Words is in 22 countries. And I went to Zimbabwe, did some teacher training, and met the young man who actually made these beautiful objects. And this is a group -- it's called Conservation Through Art. It's an art center called Iganyana Art Center. And they have about 80 young men. These are not youths. They're maybe -- well, it depends upon how you define youth, I guess [laughter]. But, the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe is 85%. So, these are young men who go every day to this -- it's a home, actually. And the living room is -- they work on beads, and they do the wire work in one of the bedrooms. And they do baskets. And then the money that they raise supports families and everything else. But then there's also a group of performers, as part of this project, who -- they kind of sound -- do you know the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo? Wonderful performers who do dance. They do a weeklong conservation camp every summer for local schoolchildren, where they learn conservation issues. And there are lots of ways, in that part of Africa, where -- because tourism is such a huge source of revenue -- where people learning how to live with the wildlife that's left in their midst and protect it and share it with others is really important. So, there are a lot of really wonderful projects happening, and we -- the Northern California Bead Society gives me beads that I send to them. And then they scavenge this wire out of old motors and -- I mean, just out of nothing comes this amazing art. So, this is for you -- >> Thank you. >> Pamela Michael: -- and this is for you [laughs]. So, thank you all for being here. Please visit our website -- whoops, well, it's too late. I'm way ahead of the slide, but, Riverofwords.org. And I'll be here afterwards, if anybody has any questions or wants to talk about anything. Thank you all, so much, for coming [applause]. >> John Cole: Well, thank you for joining us, El' Jay, Kevin, and Pamela. You all did wonderful -- wonderfully. This will be part of the website for the Library of Congress, and we're pleased to be a partner with River of Words. And I must say that having the Capitol Hill Day School seventh- and eighth-graders here [laughter] is a special pleasure. I actually came to the Library of Congress in the same administrative intern class as David Gresh, and we were good friends. And so, in another way, we are looking back to a different memory, as we look to the importance of poetry. Thanks for joining us. [Applause] And we're done [laughter, chatting]. >> Announcer: This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress. Visit us at loc.gov.