Peyton Finn Shares Passion for Poetry

Junior Peyton Finn started a new club called Live Poets Society as well as a poetry related Instagram account called @tpapoets. Through both of these activities, Finn hopes to spread her passion for poetry throughout Academy’s halls.

“The club is a safe place for anyone that likes poetry. There are no requirements. You do not have to know how to write poetry or anything like that. However, if you are someone who does know how to write, we are going to offer workshops for people who want to enhance their writing,” says Finn.

The club is currently composed of 14 members ranging from freshmen to juniors. The club’s two co-presidents are Finn and Olivia Barausky (‘20).

“We are also going to offer readings so that you can share what you’ve done. I want it to be a place where people can share what they’ve been working on. This is so feelings won’t have to be trapped inside. I know that not many have that opportunity, and I think that it would be a really cool thing to have,” says Finn.

The objectives of the club are to read, write, watch, and share various forms of poetry.

“For those who don’t like to write poetry but like to read it, we are offering a book club. We are going to recommend poetry books to people. After reading, we are going to get a group of people to talk about it. What did you find interesting? Did you like this kind of reading? How did you like the writing style?” says Finn.

Finn’s main purpose for the club and the account is to expose her peers to modern-day poetry.

“I know that poetry isn’t everyone’s thing, but it can be. I feel that people haven’t given poetry an actual chance. When someone thinks of poetry, they think of Shakespeare or old literature. Poetry today however is so modernized and so relatable. Right now I know so many people that like poetry, but are limited to the mainstream like ‘Milk and Honey’ by Rupi Kaur. There are just so many others that I think others should be aware of,” says Finn.

The name of the club is based of the 1989 movie ‘Dead Poets Society.’

“I was having trouble coming up with the name for the club. A friend actually recommended Live Poets Society. She kind of meant that as a joke because of the movie ‘Dead Poets Society,’ but then I thought more about it and grew to like the name. It definitely makes sense because we’re talking about live poets of today, our generation. I told her that she couldn’t have said anything better. The name is perfect,” says Finn.

Finn discovered her love for poetry the summer going into her sophomore year. She utilized poetry as a way to combat stress.

“The first time I really got into poetry was last summer. It was just a really great way for me to relieve stress and get in touch with my emotions. I know everyone can relate to stress in school and anxiety with friends and family. The way that I had a connection with realizing that stress and anxiety was releasing it out into poems,” says Finn.

During this time, Finn became inspired by poetry Instagram accounts, and decided to create her own.

“That summer I started going on [poetry related] Instagram accounts. I saw that they post poems every single day. Just looking at one poem would make my day. When I saw something posted that related to hardships or struggles with faith, I realized that it wasn’t just me going through that. It was so meaningful because I was going through the same thing. I related to it. However, I then realized that so many people don’t follow these accounts. Maybe if others in our grade could follow an account like that, it could make their lives a little bit better,” says Finn.

Finn created the poetry account on Instagram on September 26, 2018.

“I’m sharing my original poetry that I write on the account. I am going to try to post every morning on the weekdays. I’ve been doing that for a week now and it’s been awesome. I hope that this account can be something that will get people through the day. I hope that this can let people find something that they are passionate about,” says Finn.

Finn believes that sharing her work  is the first step in sharing her passion for poetry.

“I honestly believe that the arts are the best way that you can get in touch with yourself. Getting in touch with your emotions, writing it down, and expressing it can truly help you. I want to share that passion with people. This poetry account is the first step to do that.”

Finn has also been able to mix poetry with another important aspect of her life: music.

“My kind of poetry doesn’t really have anything to do rhyming or stanzas. It is very unorganized in a way. This kind of poetry is how I deal with my stress and what’s going on in my life. With that poetry, I then turned it into a song. I reconnected what I wrote with music. Truly, no medicine can top that. This process was my therapeutic way of getting everything out,” says Finn.  

She is able to connect her love of poetry to her love of music by taking her original poems and turning them into songs. 

“Poetry and music have both helped me through a very tough time. I didn’t really get back into music until summer going into sophomore year. I was unhappy at this time. I just picked up the guitar, retaught myself, and I started writing everything out. That was when I wrote my first song. I remember after that happened, I couldn’t stop. I’ve been writing ever since. When you discover that you have such a passion for music and such a passion for writing and poetry, it really is life changing,” says Finn.

Through both music and poetry, Finn is able to express herself, relieve stress, and combat anxiety. She encourages others to find their passions so they can do them same.

“Even when I’m not writing, I can understand what the artist is trying to say through their songs. Being a writer myself, I can take apart the reasons why they added this part, why they said this. I can use that to better myself and my own music too. It really is just amazing what music can do to you. When you hear the words, the chords, the change in the key, it moves you. I can say that as a fact. Music moves people. That’s probably the most amazing thing in the world,” says Finn.

Live Poets Society meets after school from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. every other Tuesday.

Click here to follow @tpapoets. Email [email protected] or o[email protected] to join Live Poets Society.