Sophomore Emilia Galustian is the founder and president of the brand-new Poetry Club at Glendale High School. She is a musician but also a passionate reader and singer, and she recently appeared on stage as Demetrius in our school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in February. Her love for music and poetry shapes her artistic journey, making her a truly inspiring individual.
Emilia feels that poetry is a way for thoughts to be passed from one person to another. She believes it is the most powerful means of expression, allowing people to understand each other on a deeper level.
Emilia founded the Poetry Club at GHS so that students could improve their ability to recite poetry together and learn such aspects as reading comprehension and public speaking. She also hopes to encourage more people to participate in our annual Poetry Out Loud event, and she plans on hosting other poetry recitation competitions over the year.
Emilia’s inaugural poem is titled “The Bird that Couldn’t Fly”, and its main themes are manipulation and the importance of empathy. She often writes poems that focus on concepts like cynicism, disillusionment, philosophy, and harsh reality. Emilia’s favorite poet is Edgar Allan Poe, and she likes that his poetry often has an eerie feel, especially “The Raven”.
For Emilia, the most challenging part about writing poetry is trying to make it understandable and transforming her thoughts into words. Sometimes when she wants to recite her work for a public audience, it becomes a little bit difficult to do it in a way that people understand.
Emilia’s advice for those who want to become poets is simple: just begin. Let poetry flow through you. Meet the words, listen to them and learn from them. Let their wisdom guide you.
Ultimately, poetry is not just about words on a page—it’s about feeling, expression, and the courage to share your voice. As Emilia suggests, the key is to start, to seek inspiration and to never be afraid of the journey. Every poet begins somewhere, and the only way forward is to write, to listen, and to grow.
If you are interested in joining the GHS Poetry Club, please contact Ms. Tumanyan at [email protected]. You can also follow them on Instagram: @ghs__poetryclub!
