Zuni teen headed to poetry finals

SFIS Is Getting Statewide Recognition for Fantasia Lonjose's Soul-Searching PoetryIn the hands and voice of Fantasia Lonjose, ee cummings' words sounded like they were written by a bard of the wide-open West, rather than by the Massachusetts-born poet.

"And only the snow can begin to explain how children are apt to forget to remember," intoned the 17-year-old Zuni student, a senior at Santa Fe Indian School.

"You should see her recite her own poetry," said her teacher, Tim McLaughlin, 31. "Sometimes people just start crying when she performs."

By the end of the afternoon of March 11, it was official: Lonjose had won the state finals for the second year in a row. She and McLaughlin will travel to the national finals, April 29-May 1, in Washington, D.C., for the second time.