Five poets share their art and experience in Jason Jaacks and Sam Pierstorff’s short, Poetry on Fire: Igniting Students’ Passion for Poetry and Creative Writing. The film puts five young poets in the spotlight and gives them a voice on any topic they’re passionate about. The structure of Poetry on Fire is pretty simple. A poet steps on stage and presents their poem. Afterward, they talk about it. The short concludes with the artists sharing their experience and love of slam poetry.

Originally released by EPF Media Group, 2020. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on February 23, 2023.

-- Queen D presents An Open Letter To Road Kill. Just as we look and feel sad about an animal fallen by the side of the road, the same is the way we sit back and passively react to shootings on our streets and campuses. -- Brandon Melendez writes A Letter To My Ancestors. As a mixed-race Mexican-American, Melendez comments on his life in the United States, a father who wants him to be American, and a grandmother’s disdain for his Spanglish accent. -- Jaz Sufi’s A Letter to Slam Poetry comments on art and activism—”healing through art is not going through the hard work of healing.” -- In Letter to Baltimore, Joyce Lee opens with the premise that Maryland hates Baltimore… especially Black Maryland. -- Joaquin Zhuatanejo ends with Family Tree and his feelings when his father left him and his mother. He describes it as “no shade for a family when a father leaves.”