Meet our poetry contest winners: Lynn St. Juste and Trinity Crockett

Just in time for National Poetry Month 2024, we are proud to unveil the winners of Black River Life’s first-ever youth poetry contest: Lynn St. Juste and Trinity Crockett.

First-place winner Lynn St. Juste is a 7th grade student living in the Valley of the Sun by way of her Caribbean roots (Haiti, St. Croix and Anguilla).

Lynn enjoys doing make-up, science experiments and shopping. Lynn’s winning poem “A Girl” describes her own journey to loving her beautiful “puffy hair” and bronze skin.

First runner-up Trinity Crockett is an 8th grade student and competitive gymnast born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Trinity enjoys math, Tik-Tok dances and spending time with family. Trinity’s poem, '“Where I Can Just Be” describes her love for the Black women she sees at home and in the community, and the safety she feels when she’s with them.

Tour of Arizona PBS

In addition to their cash prize, our winners were invited by Arizona PBS to tour the news station and record their poems live on set. Arizona PBS producer Da’Vonna Shannon Barnes and Cronkite School Administrative Specialist Sharkea Hardin walked our students and their families through the impressive facility and showed us every aspect of production.

We even got to meet a few ASU students hard at work producing the daily newscast and other programming.

Black River Life would like to thank our winners, their families, and the good folks at Arizona PBS for taking part in our Youth Poetry Contest. We’re excited to expand this program in 2025 – stay tuned.

Visit www.blackriver.life to learn more about how we engage in African Diaspora community building through cultural arts. Follow us at instagram.com/blackriverlife to get the latest.

We had an amazing time at Arizona PBS. Scroll through the full gallery below.