In a (historically) bookish state like Iowa, the title of Student Poet Ambassador is perhaps the biggest award to which a young writer can aspire. This year, the recipient was Lola Nakashima-Brooke.
The Davenport Central High student is the third to hold the ISPA honor — after Iowa City West High’s Shreya Khullar in 2021 and Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Johnnie Each last year — chosen by a committee of partner organizations: Arts Share, Belin-Blank Center, Humanities Iowa, Iowa Arts Council, Iowa City Poetry, Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, Iowa Council of Teachers of English, Iowa Library Association, Iowa Poet Laureate Program, Iowa Poetry Association and the State Library of Iowa.
Nominees from around the state are narrowed down in a two-part process, requiring students to participate in a blind reading and interview. Judges aren’t just looking for writing talent, but the kind of public speaking and leadership skills required of an ambassador — and Nakashima-Brooke fit the bill.
“I’d like to say that I’m multifaceted,” she said. Most of her writing could be “defined as prose or stream of consciousness,” she adds. “I write what’s in my head and I don’t try to give it too much of a verse structure.”
Nakashima-Brooke honed her skills as an intern for the Midwest Writing Center in their Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program in 2021 and ’22. She was named the new ISPA at a ceremony on April 28, during National Poetry Month. In the new school year, she hopes to use her role to uplift creative writing opportunities for Iowa students.
“I try to stick to poetry but I do like writing short stories and writing research papers for school,” she said. “It’s fun for me.”
While balancing the demands of a new semester, Nakashima-Brooke is also connecting with academic mentors, literary organizations and librarians to further solidify how she wants to define her ambassadorship. She’s in the process of confirming her upcoming engagements around Iowa, and anticipates presenting at Iowa City Poetry in November — perhaps even the Iowa City Book Festival in October.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s September 2023 issue.
