Welcome to
the Bedford Ledger
Thank you for visiting our website!
Be sure to look at previous issues in the archive for inspiration and a better idea of what we're looking for.
Please spread the word to writers of poetry, lovers of poetry, and teachers of poetry!
We are eagerly awaiting the next batch of submissions.
Reminder: Submissions for the June 2019 issue open March 5.
Be sure to look at previous issues in the archive for inspiration and a better idea of what we're looking for.
Please spread the word to writers of poetry, lovers of poetry, and teachers of poetry!
We are eagerly awaiting the next batch of submissions.
Reminder: Submissions for the June 2019 issue open March 5.
Contributing Schools
Behind the Editor's DeskTziri Lamm
Founding Editor Of Poetry and Patterns
If you happen to take a look at our About page, you'd see that we believe that "Poetry has the unique capacity to transcend differences and unite us under the common themes that draw us together." I've never felt that more strongly than when I was reading through this issues submissions. As a read, I began to notice patterns. Students from different schools, different states, even different time zones, were using similar methods and touching on overlapping themes - even though we don't give any instructions for the poems. There was a lot of manipulation of structure and form - poems that used words as art (like Jesse Weiss's winning poem "Just Once More"), poems that looked grammar in the face and said "not this time" (like Seela Langer's winning poem "Grievances with Desperation"). There were poems about time and poems about about loss.
What I love about these patterns is that they remind me why poetry is so powerful. Poetry is the place where we get to upend all the rules - words can be art and grammar doesn't matter. It's the place where we get to figure things out and ask the questions that have no answers. But most of all, it's the language that unites us all - whether we realize it or not. I hope you take some time to read our newest issue - there are some real gems there. Have a restful, enjoyable, and poetry-filled summer! Student testimonials |
"I love how The Bedford Ledger proves that being Jewish doesn't limit someone's personal ideas. It expands them.
Thank you for establishing a site that allows Jewish students to show their individuality and uniqueness to the world."
16 year old student, Monsey, NY
"I'm proud that platforms, such as The Bedford Ledger, exist for Jewish teenage writers, and I hope this won't be my last time submitting to your journal."
17 year old student, Los Angeles, CA
Thank you for establishing a site that allows Jewish students to show their individuality and uniqueness to the world."
16 year old student, Monsey, NY
"I'm proud that platforms, such as The Bedford Ledger, exist for Jewish teenage writers, and I hope this won't be my last time submitting to your journal."
17 year old student, Los Angeles, CA
