Dear Alicia Ostriker,
I attend school in Houston, Texas. I heard your poem “Utopian” when my teacher played it. What inspired you to write this poem? What was your inspiration? You are my inspiration because your poem was very moving and I understand what it’s like to want to run to happy places when I’m feeling down.
Sincerely,
Isabella
Grade 6
Houston, Texas
Dear Isabella,
Thank you for your letter. My inspiration for writing my poem "Utopian" was a mixture of things. The daughter in the poem is a real person who makes dolls, but I imagined her being a girl who started imagining happy places when she was young and feeling down. I thought she must be like me, since i sometimes want to be alone, far away from other people, and maybe you do too.
Best wishes,
Alicia Ostriker