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

South Carolina Center for the Book

Speaker at the Center Series: Tom Poland & Robert Clark

July 24, 2024, 2:00 PM


Join us at the SC Center for the Book for the latest installment of the Speaker at the Center series with author Tom Poland and photographer Robert Clark. The two have partnered to explore South Carolina through words and pictures in many publications and will speak on this topic.