Ashley Wilson Fellers
Elani Spencer
Last week, the local arts community celebrated something new: the announcement of Roanoke’s very first Youth Poet Laureate. After a citywide competition, Elani Spencer, a first-year student at Hollins University, was announced as the winner, and she presented an inaugural poem before the City Council at its Monday meeting. We sat down at the Melrose Library with Elani to ask her about her favorite poetry and books — and about how young poets can leverage their gifts for powerful social change. Here’s what she shared.
Q: What did you enjoy reading when you were young? How did you discover what you liked?
ES: My mom used to get her hair done at JCPenney Salon, and she’d let me and my older sister Elyse wander around the mall. We spent most of our time in Barnes & Noble, in the children’s section. They had a little rocking chair, and my sister would read to me -- books like the “Captain Underpants” series, the “Big Nate” books, the “Dork Diaries” series. But my absolute favorite was “The Mysterious Benedict Society” series by Trenton Lee Stewart, which is amazing. I remember every time we’d go to the mall, I would run to that section to see if they had the next book.
Q: When did you first realize that you could write poetry? Tell me about your first attempts.
ES: In ninth grade I took “The Craft of Writing” class. One of our first assignments was to write a gift poem after Billy Collins’ “[The] Lanyard” poem, so I wrote, “The Red Mitten.” It was basically about how much I wanted my sisters’ approval, because I’m the youngest and they didn’t want to hang out with me … And my creative writing teacher loved it! That really encouraged me, because I’d thought, no way; I’m not good at poetry… But I started exploring other forms, and I eventually sent a collection of poetry to the Scholastic Art and Writing competition and won a Gold Key. So that really confirmed that I could write.
Q: Were there any people who were particularly important in your writer's journey? Or perhaps any writers whose work has been particularly influential?
My creative writing teacher’s name is Marcy Gamzon; she’s been working at School of the Arts [in Rochester, New York] for years. She has played such a big role in my journey, because she’s been pushing me to submit to things, and she’s been getting me into writing workshops.
[As for writers,] I love Danez Smith, who wrote one of my favorite poems, “Dinosaurs in the Hood.” It talks about the lack of representation for the Black community in media. I also love Ariana Brown, Sarah Kay, Tomi Adeyemi – “The Children of Blood and Bone” is one of my favorite book series currently – Leigh Bardugo, who wrote “Six of Crows,” Aiden Thomas, who wrote “Cemetery Boys,” Lucille Clifton, and of course, Amanda Gorman.
Q: What makes for a great poem?
ES: Because I feel like poetry is such an important medium to inspire change and inspire other writers, I feel like it needs to have something more than just poetic language… Anything that doesn’t reflect humanity or talk about issues or just capture the beauty of the world – I feel like that kind-of falls flat.
Q: Talk to me about the poetry you've been writing lately. What's inspiring you right now? How are you stretching your craft or challenging yourself?
ES: Something that has been inspiring me lately is Hollins University's history. At its founding, the campus used enslaved labor, so I wanted to bring attention to this in my most recent poem, “Levavi Oculos.” It takes place in Beale Garden and the past begins to blur with the present as we see Oldfield and hear the voice of [early Hollins superintendent] Charles Lewis Cocke. There [are] references to members of the Hollins community who have been mostly forgotten, and it’s my way of honoring their memories and the contributions they’ve made. Within this piece, I explore surrealism and historical allusion which I haven’t done much in the past, so this really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone as a writer.
Q: Now let's talk about the role of a poet in the community. How do you see the relationship between a poet and their surrounding neighborhood, city or society?
ES: I feel like the relationship between a poet and their community is one of tough love. A poet is supposed to capture the beauty and the spirit of the community, the unity in times of success. But then they’re also supposed bring attention to what we could work on, what we need to address.
Q: Talk to me about Roanoke. What do you believe makes our city special?
ES: Obviously, the nature here is amazing… That’s one of the reasons I came here…
But I think what makes it really special is just how supportive the community is. I know Southern hospitality is a thing, but I feel like Roanoke is on a whole other level.
Q: Where do you see possibilities for growth and change?
I’ve heard people say that Roanoke is one of the most dangerous cities in Virginia, which is so sad to hear, because I feel like in this area, I don’t see that a lot. But I know it’s there. And I think a lot of change can happen with making our streets safer.
Q: How do you want your poetry to affect our community? What do you hope it accomplishes?
ES: I definitely want it to inspire other young writers here. I was actually in one of these rooms in the [Melrose] Library, practicing my poetry right before the competition, when a little girl came up to me … She was telling me that even though she loves poetry, she doesn’t think she’s really good at it. So I told her, “Oh, I wasn’t really good at poetry either when I started; trust me.” I let her know that she should keep trying at it and keep going to writing workshops here at the library. I feel like in that moment, I changed her perspective – or at least I hope I did. And I’m hoping to do that across the city with my poetry.
Q: How do you think poetry has changed your life so far?
ES: It has opened up so many opportunities for me. Even just sitting here, having this interview – I never would have thought I’d be interviewed by a magazine.
Q: What words of encouragement might you share with other young people who are interested in writing?
ES: I think the biggest advice I could give would be to not compare yourself to other writers. I did that a lot growing up … And I had to realize that our writing is going to be completely different from someone else’s writing, and we need to be able to trust our own voice and to trust the message that we’re trying to convey … Give yourself time to grow. Just keep writing. Don’t give it up.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.