- It seems like Taylor Swift has been writing poetry since she was in elementary school.
- Retired music teacher Barbara Kolvek spoke to CBS Philadelphia about what Swift was like as a student.
- “She always wrote poetry, always. Even in music class when she shouldn’t,” Kolvek said.
Taylor Swift has been honing her lyrical prowess since she was an elementary school student.
Retired music teacher Barbara Kolvek — who taught Swift from first through fourth grade at the Wyndcroft School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania — told CBS Philadelphia that she still remembers what the singer was like when She was a student.
“She always wrote poetry, always. Even in music class when she shouldn’t,” Kolvek said. “I gave him his very first singing solo. ‘Fast Talk Freddie,’ I think it was called.”
According to a page on Wyndcroft’s website, Swift attended the school until fourth grade, before leaving to pursue her music career.
Kolvek added that she and Swift stayed in touch for a while afterward.
“I feel like maybe I gave her a little spark or a little encouragement to do what she was doing,” Kolvek said.
Kolvek’s support of creativity may have played a bigger role than she imagined. Creativity is one of the top skills a person needs to thrive in the workplace, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2023 report. According to the organization’s estimates, developing soft skills in children could contribute $2.54 trillion to the global economy.
It’s clear that Swift still really likes poetry: Kolvek’s interview comes at the time of the release of Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which broke records on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, even with a moderate promotional strategy.
In the caption of an Instagram post celebrating the album’s surprise songs on Friday, Swift even called the songs “tortured poetry.”
The “Cruel Summer” singer writes her own songs and has always been known for her lyrics, especially among her fans. She also often references famous authors and their literary works in her music.
In 2020, while accepting the award for Songwriter-Artist of the Decade at the Nashville Songwriters Awards, Swift even referenced poet Emily Dickinson in her speech.
“If my words sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while she was sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre,” she said, according to Billboard.
But poetry seems to run in her blood: It turns out that Swift and Dickinson are sixth cousins, three times removed, according to the genealogy site Ancestry.
A representative for Swift did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of normal business hours.
