Peter Kahn is an Upper Arlington High School graduate who holds the title of Spoken Word Educator at Oak Park River Forest High School (OPRFHS) in suburban Chicago. OPRFHS is the focus of the America to Me documentary series, and Kahn plays a pivotal role as his students use the power of poetry to express their own experiences. Upper Arlington Schools, in partnership with the Upper Arlington Education Foundation, will welcome him for a facilitated discussion on Friday, February 7, 2020, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Upper Arlington High School Little Theater, 1650 Ridgeview Road. 

 

While I was a strong student, I had no real notable achievements.  My high school experience was rather bland.

College / career experiences

 

I earned a B.A. in English from Tufts University, an M.A. in English education from The Ohio State University (go Bucks!), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Fairfield University.  

After working as a social worker in Chicago in the early 1990s, I became a high school English teacher at Oak Park/River Forest High School (OPRFHS).  I created our Spoken Word Club in 1999.  I took a sabbatical/leave of absence from 2001 to 2003 to work in London, England.  While there, I led poetry workshops in over 30 schools, and I co-founded the London Teenage Poetry Slam.  

Upon my return to OPRFHS, I created a new role as Spoken Word Educator.  I took a leave of absence for the 2012-2013 school year and returned to London as a visiting fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London, where I created the Spoken Word Education Training Programme.  I've been back as the Spoken Word Educator at OPRFHS since.  

I created a Spoken Word Education course for Concordia University-Chicago and Roosevelt University and have been a guest lecturer at Oxford University (U.K.), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, among others. 

I was a founding member of Malika's Poetry Kitchen in London and have my first book of poetry coming out with Nine Arches press in the U.K. in June.  Along with Patricia Smith and Ravi Shankar, I edited The Golden Shovel Anthology: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks (University of Arkansas Press), which was reviewed by Claudia Rankine for The New York Times.  I'm currently working with Hanif Abdurraqib (a Columbus native/resident), Franny Choi and Dan Sullivan on a poetry anthology celebrating the 20th anniversary of our Spoken Word Club at OPRFHS.

How did UA Schools prepare you for success?

I received a top-notch academic experience, which allowed me to be accepted to all eight colleges I applied to.  Some of my most memorable teachers were Mrs. Sanders, Mrs. Gardner, Mr. Steva, Mr. Hardesty, Mr. Cole, Dr. Allen, Ms. Phillips, Mr. Sebastian, Mr. Wagner and Mr. Caruso.  They were wonderful educators, and I think back fondly of my time in their classes.   I also made some lifelong friends. If I'm completely forthright, the lack of diversity was quite problematic for me and was a real detriment to my high school experience.  I hope that has changed for the better since I graduated in 1985.

 

Photo credit: Joy Kollmer