Connections with Renee Shaw

Samantha Thornhill, who visited Kentucky to attend the Kentucky Women’s Writers Conference, explains how she found her poetic voice. She discusses the importance of poetry as a literary genre, one she identifies as struggling to find its place in society. Thornhill argues that poetry is important for communicating important political and social messages.

The author, who teaches poetry at the Julliard School in New York, is staying at a retreat geared specifically toward female authors. Thornhill explains how living at the retreat helped her write Seventeen Seasons. Scheduled for release in 2010, the book is intended for teenagers, presenting an honest picture of life for a young girl born in Trinidad. Although the novel is not autobiographical, Thornhill herself was born in Trinidad and often goes back in order to reconnect with her family still living there.

Thornhill also shares one of her poems and comments on the excitement of participating in poetry competitions known as slams.