For some, starting off your morning with in-depth analysis of lengthy poems, intense spirals of philosophical contemplation, and a few mouth-watering stacks of flapjacks sounds exhausting or nerdy. For the Period 1 AP Lit. class that convened on the morning of Sept. 21, it sounds like the perfect way to kick off the day.

Last year, the tradition of Poetry and Pancakes began during Mr. Bevins‘ first year teaching AP English Literature, after his students expressed interest in dedicating an entire period to poetry in a less traditional setting. Mr. Bevins immediately took to the idea, believing that the location and environment a person is in when reading poetry can be extremely influential: “Poetry really is not meant for stuffy classrooms: it is meant for beaches, caves, and dimly lit rooms, so having a day to relax and enjoy reading poetry, I think, is a really important part of what we do in AP Lit.”

On Poetry and Pancakes mornings, Mr. Bevins brings a griddle and makes pancakes in the back of the classroom while groups of students read and discuss in detail the poems that Bevins provides. After an amount of pancakes sufficient enough to feed a pack of starving poetry-lovers appears, the class stacks their plates with Bevins’ pancakes and other goodies that students brought to elevate the feast. From there, the class enjoys a variety of morning treats and participates in a class-wide conversation on their thoughts, opinions, and interpretations of the given poems.

In Wednesday’s session, students reviewed two of Margaret Atwood’s poems (one interpreting Greek myth, the other displaying the merit of the nonsensical) while chowing down on senior Anna Jordan‘s Greek apple rolls and sipping on the chocolate milk Chloe McNamara ’23 so graciously provided. As a student that was lucky enough to participate in this event, I can vouch that it was a hit!

But don’t just take my word for it: fellow classmate Victoria Bush ’23 also enjoyed the food-poetry extravaganza, sharing, “The pancakes were delectable, and eating a Greek pastry while reading a poem about Greek myth was very immersive.” Additionally, Adriana Arroyo ’23 appreciated the convenience of having such a wide selection of food first thing in the morning: “I normally don’t have time to grab breakfast in the morning, so filling up on pancakes made it easier to really focus on and enjoy the poetry!”

It wasn’t just the students that viewed the first P&P gathering of the year as a success: Mr. Bevins also considered the period of literature and libations a success, affirming, “This year’s AP Lit class took to the idea perfectly. We had an awesome spread of pancakes, baked goods, fruit, hash-browns, and much more. On top of that, we had, I think, our best discussion surrounding poetry of the year. I was equally impressed with the seniors’ baking prowess as I was with their ability to give me new insights into some of my favorite poetry.”

When asked if he had any plans for which food or poetry he might provide at the next Poetry and Pancakes, Bevins explained, “I always think it is fun to let the class decide on the theme they want to celebrate and the food they want to eat. As we continue, I always try to make the foods more symbolic and representative of what we are reading, but mostly, I want the seniors to have fun reading poetry. I have not chosen the poems for our next installment. I like to save that until a few days before. I want to pick something I think the class will really enjoy while highlighting ideas we are discussing in class. I imagine it to be around the end of Beowulf and Sir Gawain, so I am very much looking forward to that.”

Whichever poems are in store for next time, I’m sure Period 1 will inhale them just as eagerly as we did our pancakes topped with pumpkin-spice whipped-cream this past Wednesday.

In my opinion, starting off this year’s string of Poetry and Pancakes on such a high note indicates that the 2022-2023 will be jampacked with meaningful analyses of beautiful poetry and stacks on stacks of the finest flapjacks Mr. Bevins has to offer.