He’s only a fourth-grader at Oxford Elementary, but Keaton Giberson is already a published poet.
The talented young writer recently had a poem he penned about math as a third-grader published in a 224-page collection of student poetry, entitled ‘Brilliance,? put out by The America Library of Poetry.
Giberson said having his work published ‘felt very good.?
‘I like writing,? he said.
Based in San Diego, California and Houlton, Maine, The America Library of Poetry is dedicated to the expression of creativity through writing and helps encourage young writers in grades 3-12 by sponsoring contests throughout the United States.
Of all the thousands of entries submitted from across the country, only about 20 percent get published in the annual collection, according to www.libraryofpoetry.com.
About 12 students in OES third-grade teacher Kelly Dorman’s class entered the contest.
‘He was the only one in my class last year to get published,? she said.
Giberson, who’s mother, Theresa, teaches second grade at Daniel Axford, chose math as the subject of his poem ‘because I like math and it’s one of my favorite subjects.?
Of all the kids who entered the contest, Dorman is particularly pleased Giberson’s work was selected because writing was a subject he struggled with last year.
‘He didn’t enjoy it at all,? she said.
But all that changed once the class began studying how to write poetry.
‘When we hit poetry, it was like a lightbulb went off, he loved it,? Dorman said. ‘He was writing during his free time.?
Being published will hopefully continue to help build Giberson’s confidence in his writing ability, according to Dorman.
‘It was a big boost for him,? she said.