Local girl chosen for literary honour.

A 15 year old student from Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) has been announced as the city’s Young Poet Laureate for 2013 – 2014.

 Lauren Williams, who currently studies acting at the leading creative, digital and performing arts academy, beat off tough competition to make the shortlist on her first application before going on to take the prestigious title.

She said: “I have been writing poetry since primary school but have only recently had the opportunity to start sharing my work with others. Attending BOA has really helped me to develop my confidence and add a performance element to my poetry. I see poetry as a medium for personal opinions, and I draw inspiration from my community and my personal experiences.”

First introduced in Birmingham in 2005, the Young Poet Laureate performs at various events across the city and can be commissioned to create bespoke poetry.  

Gaynor Cheshire, principal at Birmingham Ormiston Academy, said: “Lauren is an extremely talented poet and I’m thrilled that her work has been recognised. I’ve watched her grow in confidence and ability over the past year and I’m sure that she has a bright future ahead of her.”

In order to win the coveted role, Lauren produced four poems; ‘I Think We Can All Learn a Lot from Water’, ‘Too Many’, ‘Hoodie’ and ‘If’. To read the poems, or to commission Lauren, please visit http://bit.ly/19jjq53.  For more information about BOA please visit http://www.boa-academy.co.uk/.