Pongo Blog

Spoken Word Artist, athlete, and Pongo-You Grow Girl! Project Lead, Kieanna Stephens-Sorn celebrates as University of Washington Seattle's Homecoming Scholar of 2021!Celebrate with her by checking out some of her awesome Spoken Word Poetry on her YouTube channel and by reading some You Grow Girl! Pongo poems which she's helped facilitate.Go Kieanna!
Celebrate with us! Long-time Pongo Poetry Mentor, trainer, poet & award-winning educator, Kiana Davis (MS) has just released Unyielding Roots--an anthology of hair stories by Black women of all ages.Join Kiana on Zoom for the book release party Saturday, November 20th from 1-3pm. Click here to register.Unyielding Roots "strives to destigmatize centuries of programmed self-hate
While feeling grateful has many benefits, for Pongo youth poets approaching gratitude authentically can present a challenge. Yet, when given the opportunity, the majority have been eager to do so as it presents an opportunity to tell their stories. In anticipation of the 2021 winter holiday season, enjoy these 4 poems by youth at CSTC
In honor of Indigenous People's Day, 2021Non-Natives can learn many things from Native Peoples. "Navarre's" poem is a powerful example of this:ย Totem Poleby "Navarre" a Native American resident of King County Juvenile Detention, age 15My mistakes and what happened Reasons why Iโ€™m hereThinking about the past to the presentTrying to figure out how it beganHow
Speaking Volumes is here! The Celebration will be broadcast via YouTube, starting at 7pm PST tonight (Thursday September 30th). Join the Broadcast To join the event livestream <CLICK HERE> to go to Pongo's YouTube Page. Look for the video entitled "Speaking Volumes" which should say "LIVE NOW" in red lettering underneath. Click that link and you're in! Donate Speaking
The Story of My Heartby Ann Teplick, longtime Project Lead at Pongo"Very little growsOn jagged rock.Be ground.Be crumbledSo wildflowersWill come upWhere you are."RumiYou know how it is when you land yourself somewhere unexpected, after wandering, say, at an outdoor arts festival. Say, in Seattle. At Bumbershoot. The summer of 1999.Thereโ€™s too much stimulation for my
As the first week of Pride Month coincides with Pongo wrapping up our programs for the academic year of 20-21, it's an ideal time to celebrate the people who have helped us love ourselves.Recently, I had the privilege to mentor poetry with a young man who told me about his experience coming out at an
In these final days of Women's Month, March 2021, this poem reminds me why every month should be women's month!Blessed are Womenby Anjuli NunnThe cleft of my bosomIs showing signsOf wear and tearFrom the years of abuseI endured.I had excuses to not leave,Believed that I loved him,Mistakenly gave to himMy all.But my callingWas far greaterThan
Amidst the news of anti-Asian bullying and hate crimes, Pongo Poetry Project stands in solidarity with our Asian sisters, brothers, and siblings in humanity and condemns acts of domestic, racialized terrorism.Hearing the awfulness of anti-Asian sentiment is dramatically contrasted by the hopeful, generative, and altruistic sensibilities of our authors, like this young poet who offers
Langston Hughes's poem "The Dream Keeper" got the Pongo team thinking about the big dreams and hopes of Black youth poets now and through the ages. Inspired, Poetry Mentors at CFJC (King County Juvenile Detention), led a group exercise using 2 refrains from this poem (Bring me all your
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