Samo senior Tayllor Johnson attends White House poetry workshop

Olivia LeganStaff WriterOn May 11, Samo senior Tayllor Johnson traveled to the White House to participate in a White House Stateroom Poetry Workshop hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Johnson attended as a special guest along with the nine other members of Get Lit — Words Ignite, a Los Angeles performance poetry and writing program for at-risk teens.“There are only so many times you’re invited to go to the White House,” Johnson said. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime; I will remember [the trip] for the rest of my life. If they bring it up in the future, I can say I was there. I feel like I was a part of history.”The Get Lit Players participated in the workshop along with high-profile poets, musicians and artists such as Elizabeth Alexander, Rita Dove, Billy Collins, Kenny Goldsmith, Alison Knowles and Aimee Mann. Mrs. Obama also introduced the students to Margarita Zavala, the First Lady of Mexico.Johnson and the other Get Lit Players also traveled around Washington D.C. and recited a poem called “When I Grow Up” by Sekou the Misfit at various places around the city.Johnson believes that the trip had a profound affect on her poetry.“I took away a new-found hope for reaching for the impossible. I plan to go to the White House again. I don’t know if it’s going to happen but [at the same time] I know it will,” Johnson said.  “After the trip I am proud to be a poet and to be part of that community, and I am inspired to keep writing!”Like Mrs. Obama, Johnson understands the importance of self-expression through the arts. She believes that the trip is only the beginning of her efforts to encourage youths to appreciate and utilize poetry as a form of expression.“Art is a way to connect to other human souls in a manner unlike any other. Be it poetry, music or whatever, it is important to involve yourself in that soul-to soul-discussion,” Johnson said. “To be able to play with language and words is a great power to have. My artistic director always says, ‘paper is the best listener.’”olegan@thesamohi.com