The Woodland Hills High School Library was thrilled to welcome award-winning poet Joy Priest as the latest guest in the Woodland Hills Interaction Series on Wednesday, October 14.
Priest met with high school students to talk about her poetry, the creative writing process, how she finds inspiration for her work, the rhythmic crossover between poetry and music, and much more.
The 2019 winner of the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry, Priest is currently an assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh's MFA Writing Program. Her first collection of poetry, "Horsepower," was published in 2020 by the University of Pittsburgh Press after U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey selected it as the winner of the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry.
Priest was previously the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 2021 and a Fine Arts Work Center fellowship in 2019-20. She has also been awarded the Imprint Paul Verlaine Prize in Poetry, as well as the Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize from American Poetry Review. She edited the anthology "Once a City Said: A Louisville Poets Anthology," which featured the work of over 30 Louisville poets and their work in the wake of the death of Breonna Taylor.
Her next collection, "The Black Outside," will be published by Duke University Press in 2027.
During her time with the students, Priest provided insight into her writing process, including her sources of inspiration. A Louisville native, she explained how "Horsepower" was partially informed by growing up across the street from the famed Churchill Downs, the horse racing track that is home to the Kentucky Derby. She spoke about how moving away from Louisville gave her a new perspective, which also informed her writing. And she shared how her writing is sometimes influenced by the world around her.
Students had the opportunity to ask Priest questions about her work, her writing process, and general writing tips. Several students shared selections of their own poetry, to which Priest graciously listened and provided feedback. After the discussion, Priest stayed to sign copies of her book and to chat individually with several students.
The Woodland Hills Interaction Series and Woodland Hills High School would like to thank Joy Priest for visiting with our students!