The MY HERO Project hosts the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Poetry Contest in honor of poet and peace activist Mattie Stepanek. Before Mattie passed away, just before his 14th birthday, he had become a New York Times Bestselling author and a celebrated guest on Oprah, Good Morning America, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Telethon. His mother, Jeni Stepanek, continues his legacy with the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation and is our judge for the poetry contest.
Alana Daly Mulligan is an award-winning spoken-word “artivist” & filmmaker of Déise extraction.
"Last year I did a lot of reading about Mattie and his attitude towards life and it really inspired me to change as a person, to be better to other people and I really wanted to tribute his life and the impact he continues to have on the world."
Alana's poem about Mattie
Alana's poem about Mattie put into film
Submissions are open for the 2021 Mattie J.T. Stepanek poetry contest!
Submissions are now open for the 2021 Poetry Contest! Celebrate National Poetry Month in April and submit your work for the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Poetry Contest.
Mark Cavanagh is a MY HERO board member who contributed a poem in hopes of getting his niece and nephew to do the same. "Ha, I won!"
Milan Bhargava Desai is a 3rd grader in Newport Coast, California. His sister Maya was a finalist for her poem about the heroism in us all.
All about Mattie and Jeni Stepanek
This showcase is all about Mattie, a young poet and peace activist with dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy.
Press release about Mattie's mother, Jeni Stepanek
Mattie Stepanek birthday showcase.
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Hero Stories curated by MY HERO General Editor and Story Director Shannon Luders-Manuel. |
Organizer created on 7/7/2020 2:54:16 PM by Shannon Luders-Manuel
Last edited 11/2/2020 3:28:41 PM by Xenia Shin
