From athletes to politicians, Niles West has had its abundance of talented students on the wall of fame. Another student added to the wall of fame this year is junior Yohanna Endashaw who was Illinois Champion and national contender for Poetry Out Loud. Endashaw has now furthered her success in poetry by recently publishing her book “Maturing in Free Verse,” which had its launching on Jan. 13 at the Skokie Public Library.
The book is inspired by Endashaw’s life and is split into three parts that depict her journey growing up. From her dreamy idealistic poems of her youth to her more mature poems about the struggles of being a Black woman in America, the book has dozens of poems spamming from her when she started poetry in 4th grade to her more current works.
At the book launch, Endashaw recited two unreleased poems titled “He Told Me No,” and “You, the Garden, and I.” She then performed poems “Girl,” and a four-part poem broken into four different parts: Part One: “Beginning,” Part Two: “Baby,” Part Three: “Burial,” Part Four: “Bliss.” The book release ended with a raffle to win five free copies of “Maturing in Free Verse.” Eleena Kopic, senior, also recited her original poems “Upon the mudflats of the Schleswig of Holstein Wattenmeer,” “Sparkplug Hortense and I go three Rounds,” and “The Story of the Ouija Board.”
The idea of a teenager writing and also self-publishing a book would make most adults skeptical, but for English teacher and Poetry Out Loud coach Sharon Swanson it was there was no question that Endashaw’s book would be great.
“Yohanna is extremely talented and is truly a renaissance woman. She’s involved in so many things and is so good at everything she’s in, so I have no doubt that her book will be great. I just hope that her book gets the appreciation and love that it deserves. No matter what Yohanna does in the future, even if it has nothing to do with poetry, I know that she’ll go very far,” Swanson said.
Niles West alumni and Endashaw’s poetry mentor Cherie Animashaun appreciates being able to help Endashaw on her poetry journey.
“Yohanna Endashaw is an amazing poet. I believe that the way she blends her lived experiences, culture and faith is what makes her so good at poetry. Her new book is such a beautiful read. I loved helping her bring it to life and I think many readers will find comfort and inspiration in “Maturing in Free Verse.” Yohanna is such a gifted writer and every reader is bound to find parallels between the poems and their life! On top of being a poet, Yohanna holds many roles in different positions so I know that she has a bright future in front of her,” Animashaun said.
Endashaw wrote “Maturing in Free Verse,” not only for herself but to also help the world.
“I hope my book will be able to expose people to new perspectives, amplify my voice and hopefully be able to resonate with certain people who don’t feel heard. In general, I use poetry as an emotional outlet so this book really represents me as a person and my journey,” Endashaw said.
