It’s just another normal day, as sophomore Elliott McPherson logs in to his email. He begins deleting numerous items of spam and scams. One interesting message however catches his eye. It is an email from the American Library of Poetry.
McPherson entered his poem into a writing contest hosted by the American Library of Poetry.  With high hopes of winning the grand prize of $500, McPherson was not disappointed with the ending results. Although his poem didn’t place, it was selected to be published in the associations book, Discovered, on page 137. Out of thousands of entries, less than 20% of them made the cutline into Discovered. Every author whose work is in print still retains all rights to their individual pieces.
“I was really surprised that I was chosen,” McPherson said. “I usually don’t win anything, especially opportunities like this.”
McPherson was originally inspired to write the poem for a project in Renee Sprinkle’s 9th grade Pre-Ap English class. It was Sprinkle who brought the contest to McPherson’s attention. “Dear Miss Carla Jean”, McPherson’s poem, is told in the perspective of McPherson’s deceased grandfather to his, at the time, living grandmother. It tells the story of when his grandfather passed away, his grandparents’ four kids, and how much his grandmother is missed.
“I heard about the contest through the librarian, and I posted it in my class room for all students to see,” Sprinkle said. “It really shocked me that only two students stated they entered their works in it. I admire his initiative to write outside of the classroom.”
After hearing about the contest, McPherson said he immediately knew which poem he wanted to send in. He went home the after writing his piece, around mid-February, typed it, and sent it in for judging.  It wasn’t until late June, he received the notification.

“I chose ‘Dear Miss Carla Jean’ because it followed a different storyline than what I am use to,” McPherson said. “It worked perfectly for my project, in which my topic was similar to tragic love stories, and in the end, it worked perfectly for the book.”
Most of McPherson’s writings portray ideas of blood, murder and gruesome ideas. His stories have ranged from death itself mercilessly murdering its father, to a dog having to watch its best friend die and finally, the elegy of his grandfather’s letter as told in “Dear Miss Carla Jean”.
“(McPherson) usually liked to look for the gore in every situation,” Sprinkle said. “I think with this assignment he really wanted to challenge himself, and I think he did an amazing job at doing so. He attempted something he isn’t entirely use to, and now he’s a published author still in high school.”
The American Library of Poetry hosts their competition annually, allowing anyone from grades 3-12 to enter, but only with one submission per person.  McPherson now plans to send in a different poem each year until he graduates from high school, in hopes they’ll be published in future books.

“Ever since I received the email, I’ve been writing poems like crazy,” McPherson said. “I almost don’t even care if I win any more; just the excitement of possibly getting published again is enough for me.”
McPherson plans to continue writing in the future, sharing the creations of his mind with anyone willing to take the time.
“I want to prove that anyone can do what they put their mind to,” McPherson said. “Even if the odds aren’t in your favor, or if there are people who think your ideas are a little bizarre, you can do it.”