Girls Write Now mentees took up the legacy of Beat poet ruth weiss by crafting poetry that centers nature and environmental activism in the 2022 ruth weiss Foundation Awards. Mentee Megumi Jindo and mentee alumni Elizabeth Shvarts and Grace Yu were recognized in this year’s awards for the inaugural Youth Poet Award and the Emerging Poets Award.
Megumi Jindo’s poem “As Our Mothers Wither Away We Stand By Doing Nothing,” was recognized as one of two finalists for the Youth Poet Award. Elizabeth Shvarts took home the grand prize for the Youth Poet category, and received $1,000. The grant committee selected Shvarts’ untitled poem for its “alluring and brazen language” which highlighted the urgency of the climate crisis.
In the Emerging Poets category, Grace Yu was selected as a finalist for her poem “Love Story.” It is an homage to the stunning diversity of oceanic life.