This year, for the first time in Wakefield’s 60+ year history, the Wakefield Poetry Club won the Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB) DMV poetry slam at the Kennedy Center. Their goal was to simply make it to the final stage of the competition, and not only did they accomplish that, they won the whole thing.

Louder Than a Bomb DMV is sponsored by Split this Rock, a non-profit organization that “cultivates, teaches, and celebrates poetry that bears witness to injustice and provokes social change.” LTAB itself originated in Chicago in 2001, and is geared towards helping high school poets have a safe space to perform their truths. “It’s a place where youth can come together and share their poetry, and people listen to you without judgement” said sophomore Takier George.

The LTAB DMV slam team consists of four students this year: senior Aniyah Smith, senior Angel Benites, senior Trinity Ewell, and sophomore Takier George. This is the first year Angel and Takier have participated in the LTAB DMV slam.

Congratulations, Poets!