from “We Made it to School Alive”

Quartez Harris is a writer based in Cleveland. His second poetry collection, We Made it to School Alive, was inspired by the experiences of the children he worked with as a second-grade teacher in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Harris was named the Ohio Poetry Association’s Poet of the Year for 2021 and was the first Barbara Smith Writer-in-Residence and Baldwin House Fellowship recipient. His work has been featured in various media outlets including the Plain Dealer and Ideastream, and by the City Club of Cleveland.