Bridget Gage-Dixon has always loved poetry and began writing it as a young girl. As an English teacher at Howell High School for the past 17 years, Ms. Gage-Dixon continues to share her passion in the classroom and beyond, writing and publishing her poetry in both online and print journals. 

Ms. Gage-Dixon attended Middlesex County Arts High School. She then studied poetry and Creative Writing at Richard Stockton University under the guidance of Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Dunn and his protege BJ Ward. Ms. Gage-Dixon went on to earn an MFA at the Stonecoast program at The University of Southern Maine, where she studied under poets such as Jeffrey Harrison, Gray Jacobik, and Barron Wormser. 

Her poem “Jersey City Midnight” is included in the NJ Bards Anthology, published earlier this summer, and her anthology of poems, Breach, is currently available for pre-sales at Finishing Line Press. Ms. Gage-Dixon was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, an American literary prize that honors the best poetry, short fiction, essays or other literary works published in the small presses over the previous year.

Her expertise in poetry helps open the door to various writing styles that students might not have been familiar with before. Students write paint chip poetry, using the names of paints to create imagist poems while actively engaging in critical thinking. They also compose blackout poetry, poetry from songs, and engage in poetry competitions. 

“My work as a poet has influenced my work as a teacher because it has helped me bring an excitement and love for modern poetry to my students in my English and Creative Writing classes. Several of my Creative Writing students have gone onto MFA programs themselves, and I consider this one of my greatest accomplishments. I love sharing the joy and excitement of poetry with students and seeing them connect the power of poetry,” Ms. Gage-Dixon said.