Poetry Out Loud
Riley Powell
Staff Writer
[email protected]
Sophomore Niya Chagantipati presenting
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest for which students memorize a poem from a famous poet and present it in an oral interpretive style to the judges. The four levels of this competition are the school level, regional level, state level, and the national level.
At the state level, there is an opportunity to win $200 for each winner and $500 for their school to purchase poetry books. The runner-up receives $100 and $200 for their school. The opportunity to receive more money continues on to the national level where a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually.
English teacher Ms. Angela Doody loves leading Poetry Out Loud at CV.
“I like it because it gives students a chance to perform poems that they love and it’s really fun to see kids get into it and have fun with it,” Ms. Doody said. “It’s also a great creative outlet where students can get into character rather than just reciting a poem.”
One of the contestants, sophomore Niya Chagantipati, returns to compete for a second year with the poem “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar Albert Guest.
“I did this competition last year so I thought why not just do it again this year,” Chagantipati said. “It’s fun!”
As for the 2019 winner of the school level at CV, junior Mark Chambers made his debut at Poetry Out Loud this year with the poem “Make a Law So That the Spine Remembers Wings” by Larry Lewis.
“I like poetry, I like writing poems, I like memorizing poems and I like speaking in front of people,” Chambers said. “So this contest was perfect for me.”
While the Poetry Out Loud contest at CV did not attract many contestants this year, Ms. Doody hopes that in the future it will receive more attention and more contestants.
“This contest is important because I think poetry is beneficial to all people since everyone can relate to different poems, and to get in front of a bunch of people and speak is a lifelong skill,” Ms. Doody said. “Plus, it looks great on your college resume. So come out next year and compete!”