In her poetry, Shangri-La Hou explores the natural world and how people interact in — and with — it. The 18-year-old Lake St. Louis resident and recent John Burroughs School graduate’s work is informed by her upbringing in Florida, New Mexico and Missouri.
Last fall, she earned a spot as one of five National Student Poets – an appointment that’s led to events in Washington, D.C., and Louisiana, among other places. The honor has been awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers since 2011. It’s a yearlong literary ambassadorship that includes a public service component.
The position has so far taken Hou on a continuing journey that has helped her identify herself in new ways, especially in public spaces. She said that before the National Student Poet appointment, she didn’t even call herself a poet.
“I feel like that's kind of a lofty word to a lot of people. I definitely wrote in private, in the comfort of [my] own [room] late at night,” she said on St. Louis on the Air. “Bringing that interior, personal thing into the outside world was something that I definitely had to adjust to. But stepping into a role as a representative, and especially facing people who might not know poetry in the way that I do … it's been very fulfilling.”
Hou’s experience in the National Student Poet program has helped her mature as a writer. It has also demonstrated how powerful poetry can be as a means to connect with others, whether it’s through pieces focused on self-expression or work that raises awareness around urgent issues like ecological crisis.
“[Having] that kind of voice, and that reach, is also the most important stage in a poet’s life,” Hou said. “I'm very privileged to get to do it. That has informed my work and made me realize that, ‘This is not something I'm just doing for myself, because every poem has the potential to be read and to help others.’”
Before Hou leaves to start college in a new state this month, she plans to partner with Urban Harvest STL on an eco-poetry service project. Her career goals involve biological or natural sciences, which aligns with themes in many of her poems. That doesn’t mean she’ll be putting her writing aside.
“[Poetry] feels like a practice or a way of living. And I think it'll always inform who I am,” she said.
To hear two of Shangri-La’s poems, how writing poetry is a spiritual outlet and space to explore identity and what it was like to meet and create with other young people who call themselves poets, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube; or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
