The Gaithersburg Book Festival, has selected the finalists for its 7th annual poetry contest for high school students. The students had to write a poem on "civic duty" and what it means to them. More than 100 entries were submitted by students across the DMV region.

The finalists, listed in alphabetical order with the school they attend, city in which they reside and grade, are:

Alexander Belter of Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (Capron, Va.; grade 12)
Sebastian Biros of British International School of Washington (Washington, D.C.; grade 11)
Leah Bulson of Richard Montgomery High School (Rockville, Md.; grade 12)
Natalia Coronado-Mercer of Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (Richmond, Va.; grade 10)
Ananya Gautam of Winston Churchill High School (Potomac, Md.; grade 12)
Nathan Jaquette of Oakton High School (Oakton, Va.; grade 10)
Rosie Lee of Holton-Arms School (Potomac, Md.; grade 9)
Tris Meagher of Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (Midlothian, Va.; grade 10)
Gloria Owolabi of Annapolis Senior High School (Hanover, Md.; grade 11)
Lillian Payne of Annapolis Senior High School (Annapolis, Md.; grade 10)
Anuraag San of Richard Montgomery High School (Rockville, Md.; grade 11)
Kristen Swain of Richard Montgomery High School (Rockville, Md.; grade 12)
The first-, second-, and third-place winners and the fan favorite will be announced on the Festival website Monday, May 19, by 2025 judge Holly Karapetkova, who will select the top three entries.

Join us for the awards ceremony at GBF on May 17th!

Schedule of Events:

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Aggie Blum Thompson, Christine Gunderson - Fiction    
Location: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Essie Chambers, Tara Karr Roberts - Fiction
Location: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Evan Friss - Non-fiction    
Location: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Barbara Bradley Hagerty - Non-fic    
Location: James Michener Pavilion

10:15 Am - 11:05 AM - Paul M. Sparrow - Non-fic    
Location: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Agustín Fuentes - Non-fic    
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - High School Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony and Reading - Poetry    
Location: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Debra Kempf Shumaker, Susan Stockdale, Gaia Cornwall - Children's    
Location: Jim Henson Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Vera Brosgol, Dianne K Salerni, Angela Dominguez - Children's    
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion

10:15 AM - 11:05 AM - Katherine Marsh, Meera Trehan, Teen/YA    
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Sarah Pekkanen, Alex Finlay - Mystery/Thriller    
Location: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - John Scalzi - Sci-Fi    
Location: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Judith Viorst - Non-fic    
Location: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Casey Burgat - Non-fic    
Location: James Michener Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Jinwoo Chong - Fiction    
Location: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Gregg Jones - Non-fic    
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Amuchechukwu Nwafor, M. Nzadi Keita, Steven Leyva    - Poetry    
Location: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Alan Katz, David LaRochelle - Children's    
Location: Jim Henson Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Cheryl Willis Hudson, Wade Hudson    Children's    
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion

11:15 AM - 12:05 PM - Jonathan Auxier, Cinda Williams Chima - Teen/YA    
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - David Ellis, Chris Pavone - Mystery/Thriller    
Location: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Louis P Bayard - Fiction    
Location: Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Joe Posnanski - Sports    
Location: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Alan Weisman, Malcolm Harris - Non-fic    
Location: James Michener Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Andie Burke, Lindsay Hameroff - Romance    
Location: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Keith Donohue, Anna Rasche    - Fantasy    
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - John Amen, Courtney LeBlanc - Poetry    
Location: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Brian Lies, Steve Light - Children's    
Location: Jim Henson Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Fred Bowen, Hena Khan - Children's    
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion

12:15 PM - 1:05 PM - Tracey Baptiste, Craig Kofi Farmer, Sayantani DasGupta - Teen/YA    
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Mary Robinette Kowal - Sci-Fi    
Location: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Sara Goodman Confino, Linda Holmes - Romance    
Location: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Dave Barry - Humor    
Location: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

1:15 PM    - 2:05 PM - David Hajdu    - Non-fic    
Location: James Michener Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Madeline Martin, Laura Morelli - Fiction    
Location: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - John Kenney - Fiction    
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Jubi Arriola Headley, Tanya Olson, Chanlee Luu - Poetry    
Location: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Michael Sampson, Laura Numeroff, Amy Timberlake - Children's
Location: Jim Henson Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin - Children's    
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion

1:15 PM - 2:05 PM - Laura Malone Elliott, Amanda McCrina, Kim Johnson, Yohuru Williams - Teen/YA    
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - Jeffery Deaver - Mystery/Thriller    
Location: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - Jeanine Cummins - Fiction    
Location: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - Glory Edim, Erika J. Simpson - Non-fic    
Location: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

2:15 PM    - 3:05 PM - Russell Shorto - Non-fic    
Location: James Michener Pavilion

2:15 PM    - 3:05 PM - David Gessner, Jessica Roux    - Non-fic    
Location: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - P. Djèlí Clark, Asha Greyling - Fantasy    
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - Nancy Naomi Carlson, Katherine E. Young - Poetry    
Location: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - Carole Lindstrom, Linda Sue Park - Children's    
Location: Jim Henson Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - Jonathan Roth, Leland Melvin, Charles F. Bolden, Jr. - Children's    
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion

2:15 PM - 3:05 PM - Sharon G. Flake, Tracey Baptiste, Tony Keith Jr., Gia Gordon - Teen/YA    
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion

3:15 PM    - 4:05 PM - Lauren Francis-Sharma - Mystery/Thriller
Location: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Eric Puchner - Fiction    
Location: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - David Aldridge - Sports    
Location: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Colleen Long, Amanda Becker    - Non-fic    
Location: James Michener Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Zeeva Bukai, Elaine Neil Orr - Fiction    
Location: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Gary Burr - Fiction    
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Alison Palmer, Indran Amirthanayagam, Esther Lin - Poetry    
Location: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Michael Hall, Bob Shea, **** Tran - Children's    
Location: Jim Henson Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Jacqueline Davies, JoHo, Kami Garcia - Children's    
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion

3:15 PM - 4:05 PM - Rachel Renée Russell, Nikki Russell    Teen/YA    
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion

4:15 PM - 5:05 PM - Carter Wilson, Matt Goldman    - Mystery/Thriller    
Location: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

4:15 PM - 5:05 PM - Erin Crosby Eckstine - Fiction    
Location: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

4:15 PM    5:05 PM - Matthew and Mark Jacob - Sports    
Location: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

4:15 PM - 5:05 PM - Rick Atkinson - Non-fic    
Location: James Michener Pavilion

4:15 PM - 5:05 PM - Rosa Kwon Easton, Frances Park - Fiction    
Location: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

4:15 PM - 5:05 PM - Megan Doney    - Non-fic    
Location: Rachel Carson Pavilion

4:15 PM    - 5:05 PM - W. Luther Jett, Lynne Schmidt, Holly Karapetkova - Poetry    
Location: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

4:15 PM - 5:05 PM - Sarah Albee, Kerry Aradhya - Children's
Location: Jim Henson Pavilion

4:15 PM - 5:05 PM - John Patrick Green, Dave Roman, Alexis Frederick-Frost - Children's    
Location: Willa Cather Pavilion

4:15 PM    - 5:05 PM - Zakiya N. Jamal, Ibi Zoboi - Teen/YA    
Location: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Date: May 17, 2025

Time: 10am - 6pm

Location: Bohrer Park 506 S Frederick Ave, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, United States

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