Young Rural Poets Share Their Work

This spring, the Rural Youth Catalyst Project invited rural young people from across the country to submit their poetry in response to our theme “My American Dream: Borderlands and Belonging.”  

The borderlands are physically present across race, ethnicity, culture, gender, gender identity and sexuality, class, disability, or any other identity.

Living in the borderlands can bring connectedness when we are able to shrink those differences in our communities but it can also bring the challenges of feeling like an outsider, facing fear of isolation, discrimination, and hatred as we carry our identities and try to navigate the borderlands of difference.  

We asked young people to reflect on the visible and invisible borders that exist in their lives as well as how we can all build connectedness, belonging, and inclusion. 

As part of the April 2021 Rural Assembly Everywhere Gathering and hosted by poet, Verandah Porche, these young adults read and reflected on their work. Take a few minutes to listen to their voices and enjoy the highlights from that evening.