Westover Student to be published in Kenyon Review

03/09/2009

When Felicity Sheehy applied to Westover School and was given a copy of its Lantern literary magazine, the budding poet knew she wanted to attend the school because she thought the poetry in the magazine was the best of any school to which she had applied.

Now a junior at Westover, Felicity has learned that one of her poems that appears in the 2008 Lantern has been awarded first prize in the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers competition, a national contest sponsored by the well-respected Kenyon Review at Kenyon College, Ohio. "It's really exciting," said Felicity, who has been writing poetry since the age of 5. She plans to attend the 2-week intensive Kenyon College Young Writers Workshop this summer, on a full scholarship which is included in her first place win.

Her poem "Letter," which was selected from more than 600 entrants, will be published in the Fall issue of the Kenyon Review. Each year at Westover School sophomore and junior English students write two poems for submission to the Lantern, which has been published at the school since its founding in 1909.

Felicity wrote her poem "Letter" as a sophomore in English instructor Jo Dexter's class. "My poem went through about 30 revisions," said Felicity, who noted that on several occasions her teacher pointed out areas in her poem which needed reworking.

This isn't the first time the young poet has been recognized. In 2008 as a sophomore she won $1,000 as the first place winner in New Haven County in the state IMPAC poetry contest. Bruce Coffin, her junior English teacher, said "she's a tremendous English student - one of the best we've ever seen here." This year Felicity is honing her poetry writing skills in Mr. Coffin's Craft of Poetry class, in which students create a poetry portfolio.

In her freshman year she was awarded 2nd place in the Lynn DeCaro Poetry Contest, a competition sponsored by the CT Poetry Society for high school students.

Felicity Sheehy, Westover School '10, first place in national poetry contest.