Award-winning poet Ama Codjoe inspires young writers at Writers Here and Now Event

Award-winning poet Ama Codjoe inspires young writers at Writers Here and Now Event (Mallory Haselberger/Jiménez-Porter Writers' House)

Award-winning poet Ama Codjoe was invited to speak at the University of Maryland, offering insight into her personal journey as a poet at the first Writers Here and Now Event of the school year on Sept. 25.

The Jiménez Porter Writers’ House hosted the event in Queen Anne’s Hall, where attendees could greet Codjoe and enjoy tacos with their peers.

The event gave writers and poetry lovers a chance to hear Codjoe’s work, along with her experience and advice as a seasoned writer. Codjoe won the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the Drink Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry.

Early in the discussion, Ross Angelella, the director of Jiménez Porter Writers’ House, asked where Codjoe started as a poet.

Codjoe replied that Amiri Baraka’s “Preface to a Twenty-Volume Suicide Note” captured her as a teenager and ultimately started her journey as a poet.

“Especially as a teenager, I think there’s always been a sense of writing coming from a place of heartache, pain, confusion and just trying to figure something out,” Codjoe said. “But I think the difference between that and now is that I both want what is confounding and heartbreaking but also what I want to cherish and what brings me joy and pleasure.”

The discussion continued with questions from the audience. One attendee asked Codjoe about her ability to share her poetry with the public without fear of criticism. 

“I’m a little bit of an outlier in my friend group in that regard, but you know what people say, it’s not [the public’s] business. I feel that I know what works for me and what doesn’t,” Codjoe said.  “I know I cannot be pulled in by strangers for my well-being,” 

At the end of the event, students applauded and shared their impressions of the event.

“I thought it was really, really great. I love getting to talk to established writers and poets. It’s so inspiring to me as someone who wants to do that for myself,” said sophomore English and government and politics major Paige Racine.

Queenadeola Royalty, a junior criminal justice and criminology major, said that although she wasn’t a poet, Codjoe’s advice would help her share her artwork with the world. 

“She spoke about a lot of things like how one approaches their work and how one shares their work with the public. I think it was still applicable, and I think it was still a great discussion,” said Royalty.

The program’s Writers Here and Now Event is hosted twice a year with the intention of bringing young writers and experienced professionals together for discussions on craft, community support and inspiration for ideas.

“When you bring a writer to campus, one that is a practicing writer, and they’re in the room with you, and you're listening to them read and asking them questions, it creates a more dynamic space and opportunity to be inspired,” said Angelella.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled Queenadeola Royalty’s last name. This story has been updated.