State Library Announces 2018 Young Minds Dreaming Poetry Contest Winners

young minds dreaming logo

In support of National Poetry Month, the South Carolina State Library is pleased to announce the nine winners in this year's Young Minds Dreaming poetry contest. These outstanding students will be honored at the South Carolina State Library in Columbia at an award ceremony on Saturday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.

Winners and their families are invited to attend the awards ceremony where each student will read their poem and meet the poet and author Kwame Alexander. Each student will also receive a signed copy of his book, Out of Wonder, and a special award.

The public is invited to the afternoon presentation by Kwame Alexander which begins at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are available online at Eventbrite.

Here are our 2018 winners:

Level One - Elementary

  • First Place - Kalila O'Quinn, Chukker Creek Elementary, Aiken
  • Second Place - Flynn Jeffcoat, Midway Elementary School, Lexington
  • Third Place - Sarah Drury, Cross Schools, Bluffton

Level Two - Middle

  • First Place - Seneca Russell, Oakridge Middle School, York
  • Second Place - Cassie Drew, Northside Middle School, West Columbia
  • Third Place - Zoe Boslet, Alice Drive Middle School, Sumter

Level Three - High

  • First Place - Kozbi Bayne,Mauldin High School, Greenville
  • Second Place - Teddy Friedline, Fine Arts Center, Greenville
  • Third Place - Zymesha Nash, James F. Byrnes Freshman Academy, Duncan

For more information, please contact Denise Lyons.

Upcoming Event

Silver oyster shaped jewelrey on a wooden table.

Speaker at the Center: Silversmith Kaminer Haislip, "Charleston Silver, Past to Present"

August 7, 2025, 6:00 PM

Join us at the next installment of the Speaker at the Center series with Charleston silversmith Kaminer Haislip. Haislip's rice spoon was recently added to the Charleston Museum's collection and she has received a grant from SC Humanities to study silver techniques abroad. Kaminer will present a lecture titled Charleston Silver, Past to Present on the history of colonial Charleston silversmithing and how it relates to her contemporary silver designs.