This week on Local Motion, KVNF’s Marty Durlin visits North Fork High School to hear directly from students in Tracy Ihnot’s creative writing class. Over the semester, these students explored everything from haiku and blackout poetry to journalism and slam, each unit ending with a performance or project to showcase their work.
“I wanted students to find their voice and then amplify it,” says Ihnot. “We explored different genres, and I made sure they had creative freedom along the way.”
Students read selections from their original work throughout the episode. Ethan Naylor shares vivid haiku, drawing inspiration from nature and memory. Zoe Stolmeier performs a poem called “Reality,” reflecting on the stories we tell ourselves. Raelee Meyers reads a powerful slam piece about what it feels like to be a teenager trying to be heard. Bastion Hume, Zane Evans, and Kassi Esser also share poems and stories that are moving, mysterious, and deeply personal.
Across the board, students said the class helped them discover parts of themselves—and each other—they hadn’t connected with before. “It’s a free space to express how you feel and make friends with people you probably would never talk to,” says Ethan.
Teacher Tracy Ihnot wrote alongside her students and helped create a space where experimentation and vulnerability were welcomed. “I do every single assignment with them,” she says. “So they always have an example.”
