On May 7th, 2026, the Parlin Memorial Library hosted the Awards Ceremony for this years’ contest, in which the three finalists from each of the three categories – youth, teen, and adult – were invited to recite their poems for the judges. The judging panel was composed of library staff, including the Parlin and Shute Children’s Librarians, Kristin McAuliffe and Valerie Terenzi respectively, Head of Circulation, Victoria Iannuzzi, and Library Director, Kevin Sheehan.
“We were so pleased with the turnout for the contest, this being only the second year of resurrecting this annual tradition,” states Iannuzzi. The poetry contest has been a longstanding yearly competition hosted by the Everett Public Libraries, but was on hiatus for a few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This year we decided to inspire our poets with a theme,” added Sheehan. He elaborated that “we wanted the community to ruminate on the 250th anniversary of our nation, so we provided the theme ‘250 Years of Independence’ as a suggestion to our local poets.”
The evening was filled with thoughtful expression, which the crowd of onlooking parents, friends, and fellow poets took in with heartfelt tears of joy. With compelling messages and vivid lyricism, the finalists offered unique perspectives on the last 250 years of American history. After much deliberation, the judges concluded that the winners of the contest were Arielle Louis (youth category), Lee Walsh (teen category), and Paige Anderson (adult category).
This year’s contest was generously sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Everett, who provided cash prizes for the winners at the conclusion of the ceremony. “The Everett Public Libraries have once again brought our community together in the best way — by giving people of all ages a chance to express themselves,” said Kiwanis President, Matthew G. Alphen. “On behalf of all our members, we congratulate every single one of [the finalists]. You took your spirit, creativity, your courage, and you turned it into poetry — and that deserves applause.”
The Everett Public Libraries would like to offer a special thanks to the Kiwanis Club for their support of this contest and for providing the refreshments for the evening; it is community advocates like the Kiwanis Club of Everett that allow for wonderful celebrations of artistic merit such as the Poetry Contest to continue to be a yearly tradition.