Photo courtesy of AT Rhodes
AT Rhodes, a writer across many genres, will represent Spelman College at the Glascock Poetry Contest. They say their poetry is about “really getting to the heart of the matter.”
The 102th Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest will take place at Mount Holyoke College on April 3 and 4, 2025. It is the oldest continuously-running intercollegiate poetry contest in the country. This year, all of the contestants hail from either historically women’s colleges or gender-diverse women’s colleges. In the days leading up to the contest, Mount Holyoke News will be releasing digital-exclusive profiles of each poet-contestant.
By Cat McKenna ’28
Staff Writer
AT Rhodes’ passion for poetry began in their ninth-grade English class. Now, as a senior at Spelman College, they will represent their school at the 2025 Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest in early April.
Rhodes credits Kevin Young’s poem “Song of Smoke,” a poem about love, as the piece that sparked their interest in poetry. “It was the first time I had realized how there was this whole other language behind just what was written,” Rhodes said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. “It just really made me appreciate reading into things, looking closer at the world.”
One particularly resonant moment for Rhodes was sharing "Song of Smoke" with their mother. As they discussed the poem, their mother asked if the author was also Black. Their mother had not known Kevin Young’s background prior, but sensed it through the poem’s allusions. Through their mother's inference, Rhodes realized how poetry could reveal other perspectives, propelling their passion for writing.
“I just got obsessed with learning everything I could about poetry … So, I kind of spiraled from there,” Rhodes said.
Beyond poetry, Rhodes has taken up narrative writing, growing an interest in writing scripts for films, especially video games. “Ever since I got deep into narrative stuff, I'm like, why am I not playing more video games? So I would love to continue that thread, just writing, pretty much in any way I can.”
More recently, they have ventured into writing video essays, enjoying the freedom of being able to discuss whatever comes to mind. Additionally, they are an avid reader of manga.
When it comes to their poetry, Rhodes hopes people walk away with a glimpse into their life and perspective. “I would want them to feel like they're stepping into my world, like they're stepping into my living room. Like, no matter exactly what I'm expressing or feeling, I want them to feel like they're on my couch. Really getting to the heart of the matter,” they said.
Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.