Kiseon Thompson, an 18-year-old sixth form student of Ardenne High School, was one of the five young persons shortlisted for the Helen Zell Young Writers prize. Thompson is the youngest of the shortlisted candidates, and a fellow teenAGEr, so we decided to catch up with him at the National Poetry Day celebrations put on by the National Library of Jamaica, which was held at the Knutsford Court Hotel on Wednesday.

Kiseon Thompson, an 18-year-old sixth form student of Ardenne High School, was one of the five young persons shortlisted for the Helen Zell Young Writers prize. Thompson is the youngest of the shortlisted candidates, and a fellow teenAGEr, so we decided to catch up with him at the National Poetry Day celebrations put on by the National Library of Jamaica, which was held at the Knutsford Court Hotel on Wednesday.

Thompson is currently studying Literatures in English, Computer Science, Caribbean Studies and Law. He found out about the competition from Jovante Anderson, a past Ardenne student, who was one of the winners of the Helen Zell Young Writer’s Prize for Poetry last year. His main aim for entering the competition was for exposure, as well as the cash prize incentive of  US $1,000 dollars. 

The other shortlisted candidates were Rojae Brown, Khadijah Chin, Nicholas Kee, and this reporter. The shortlisted candidates’ entries were sent to the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan for the final round of judging, and the winner was announced to be Khadijah Chin. 

Though Thompson did not win the grand prized this time around, he was delighted that the judges loved his work, which he modestly described as him just “stringing a few words together.”

Well he clearly strung the right words together to be shortlisted for this prize at only 18 years old. Congratulations on your achievement, Kiseon!