Zoe Ward ’28, a creative writing and philosophy student from Brentwood, Tennessee, uses poetry as a tool for connection.
Ward’s interest in writing began early in life. “Even when I was four years old, I had a typewriter, and I tried to write newspapers,” she said.
In elementary school, Ward heard a novel written entirely in poems and realized that poetry was her passion. “I found that to be really accessible: I didn’t even know what a sonnet was, but it was very interesting to me.”
As a high school senior, Ward earned a National Gold Medal through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, an award given to less than 1% of applicants nationwide.
”I find that my poetry tends to center around family, religion, and nature,” she said. “It’s easy to pull together a portfolio when you’ve got those common threads.”
In May 2025, Ward was selected as the 2025-2026 Tennessee Youth Poet Laureate. The program is a year-long term that begins with a competitive application process.
“I submitted some of my top poems that deal with civic engagement,” said Ward, who included poems about growing up in an impoverished community, gun violence, and nature.
Following Ward’s selection as poet laureate, her manager began to schedule reading and volunteering events, expanding Ward’s role beyond writing into community engagement.
At Denison, Ward has found an environment that supports her growth. She was drawn to the university’s small English department and its emphasis on one-on-one feedback.
“I’ve gotten to be a teaching assistant, go to the Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference, and even apply and win department awards,” she said. “None of that would have happened if I hadn’t been able to build those strong connections with English professors.”
Though she’s currently serving as Tennessee Youth Poet Laureate, Ward has continued her work in Ohio by leading a writing studio at the Granville Center of the Arts and a young writers’ workshop at Thurber House in Columbus.
“Poetry can be really therapeutic: when I’m going through something, I write about it,” said. “I think poetry can be such an impactful tool for change.”
