Grace Ostrosky, Arts & Life Editor


In May 2025, Zoe Ward ‘28, a creative writing and philosophy double major, was named the Tennessee Youth Poet Laureate.  Although her term is almost over, her journey as a writer has only just begun.

“In different states, different programs sponsor the laureate terms. In Tennessee, that organization is Southern Word, which is a nonprofit that also hosts spoken word events for teenagers and helps bring poetry to schools…They put an advertisement out through Urban Word—which is the nationwide organization of [Southern Word]—and several of my friends, notably from the Adroit Workshop that I completed between high school and college, were applying or had already held roles, so I thought ‘Why not?’” said Ward.

Urban Word is a nationwide organization with the largest and most comprehensive youth literary arts organization in the country. It celebrates top youth poets who are committed to artistic excellence, civic engagement, and social impact.

The application asks writers to consider their interest in civic engagement. Ward wrote how growing up in an impoverished community made her want to bring that experience to the page. She also wanted to give attention to victims of gun violence as the issue is prevalent in the country. 

“I got the email last May…and I thought it was a joke. I didn’t think I had gotten it. But since then, I’ve been able to work with [Urban Word], [and the program] can really be whatever you want it to be.” 

Ward was determined to make the most out of her term by leading workshops for elementary-aged and high school students and reading at libraries in her community. 

“I wanted to make the most out of this year…[and] it’s come very full circle on what I wrote about in my application. I’ve been able to speak at underfunded programs at public schools in Tennessee. And, recently, the governor requested me to write a poem… I chose to write about Emily Kisner, who was an elementary school student who died in the Covenant School shooting, and I was able to focus on less about the gun violence and the perpetrator and more about her life, which was a really important thing for me to do and felt like a satisfying way to sort of end this laureate term,” said Ward. 

“I always loved writing. When I was a young kid, I would create family newspapers on my typewriter, and…I created very elementary poems,” said Ward when asked about her past in writing. “But I don’t think I really realized the extent to which you could make writing your career until I started attending workshops in high school.”

Across the nation, universities and other institutions host workshops for young writers that aim to improve students’ craft, foster critical thinking, and build confidence through peer review, mentoring, and collaborative, student-centered learning. Ward is a graduate of the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, the Adroit Journal Poetry Mentorship, and the Columbia Multi-Genre Creative Writing Workshop, all of which are programs for high school students. Denison’s creative writing faculty hosts their own annual youth workshop, the Reynolds Young Writers Workshop, annually since 1995; Ward is a student teaching assistant for this program. 

“I attended the Iowa Young Writers Workshop, between my junior and senior years [of high school, and] I got to meet a bunch of MFA students and published authors who could speak about how they got published, maybe odd jobs that they kept while they wrote, and how they just sustained that writing life,” said Ward. “And that was really enticing to me to work to make your passion your job, even if it isn’t always easy.”

“It’s always important to get to do more professional-level things, and I’m grateful that Denison has really awarded me the opportunities to do that. I’ve been able to meet many authors through the Beck Series who speak very candidly about their publication process, even if it takes them years, and their advice on how to sustain passion for writing. I’ve also found jobs through the English department, which has been important to help me understand what I want to do in the future,” said Ward on the creative writing department at Denison. “It’s very common for a liberal arts school to say, ‘here’s this exciting thing that you can learn how to do!’ but not show you how you can make a living at it. I’m grateful that Denison allows me to do that.”

Ward’s work has been recognized by The Atlanta Review, DIALOGIST, Gannon University, and the JFK Foundation, among others. 

While Ward’s laureate term ends next month, she is excited to continue exploring her passion for writing this summer as she works as a Lisska Summer Scholar under the guidance of Professor Amy Butcher to craft essays on chronic illness, family, and religion.