Inspiring Writing

Already an accomplished photographer, School President Idia Enoma ’26 can now add published poet to her resume.

Idia recently had two poems published. Her work “girls born near water” was published in the Blue Marble Review, and “instructions for grieving a house on fire” made the Eunoia Review. Both poems were written this summer, after Idia completed the University of Pennsylvania’s Kelly Writers House Summer Workshop in Philadelphia.

“I had just gotten back from the UPenn program, and I was inspired to do a lot more personal writing,” explains Idia, who enjoyed the immersive nature of the two-week program. “I was writing a lot during that span, taking workshops on different types of writing, and working in mentor and peer workshops, so there were a lot of takeaways that carried over after the program.”

The UPenn workshop was an opportunity Idia decided to pursue after she secured a Silver Key in the 2024-25 Massachusetts Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her poem, “A Vessel of Being.” Recipients of Gold and Silver Keys can apply for selected summer programs to pursue their craft. “I wanted to gain experience and meet others my age interested in writing,” says Idia, who was one of twenty young writers in the program.

Writing has long been a creative outlet for her. In elementary school, Idia wrote fiction, inspired by reading a lot of Harry Potter, then gravitated in middle school to more poetry. Last year, taking Hallmark Craft and Creative Writing, she dove into memoir and realized that she was writing so much, and so frequently — yet still enjoying the work.

Writing is not Idia’s only creative outlet. Talented behind the lens as well, Idia’s photography has also been recognized. Last year, her photo, “Hands of Change,” was selected for We the Public, an in-person exhibition of high school students’ work from around the globe and showcasing a range of perspectives that explore the civil and the civic. In 2023, one of her photographs was selected for a national online exhibition curated as part of the “We The Place” National High School Open Call, which aims to give voice to up-and-coming creative talents in photography and video. She has also taken photos at New York Fashion Week.

When it comes to writing, Idia explains that she draws inspiration from her youth, her own experiences, and family dynamics, and she often finds inspiration in nature. “I have bursts of spontaneity and will jot ideas in a notes app, then later develop that idea, and it will be on my mind until I work on it,” she says. “I will also hear things that I want to write about, so I am always storing away little snippets, small pieces to make a bigger piece, and I read a lot in general and gain inspiration from other writers.”

Her process, she notes, is to work through a draft, which is followed by many edits and re-writes. “It takes a while to get from inspiration to completion,” she says. “When I am writing, I don’t edit as I go. I write out my idea completely, then I go back through it and explore the central theme and try to strengthen it — take things out or add things — to make sure it is conveying what I am trying to convey.”

It can be a challenging process, but one she enjoys. “Like it is for many people, writing is an outlet,” Idia explains. “I can use it to express myself, and it’s something I’ve always done, so it feels like second nature to express myself in that way.”