Poetry Out Loud National Competition
La Quinta High School Student Emily Dang earned second place in the county level of the National 2022 Poetry Out Loud competition which had more than 500 students participating. This week, Marcus Omari from Poetic Reform Party and Elizabeth AB Miller, the Program manager for Arts Orange County visited La Quinta to present Emily with an award in recognition of her second-place win.
Due to her excellent performance in the Poetry Out Loud competition and the OC Poetry Out Loud Showcase and Open Mic on February 12th, Emily was selected to be the single student to delivery her poem at the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators Awards Ceremony at the Segerstrom Center on May 17.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.
Students had several weeks to memorize two poems from the National Poetry Out Loud anthology, record those poems and submit them to the county’s panel of judges. Submissions were scored on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, overall performance and accuracy.
A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country.
Students need to choose and memorize two poems from the POL database at poetryoutloud.org. There, students can find recitation tips as well as the scoring rubric. One poem must be 25 lines or fewer and written pre-20th century. Competitors will recite both poems from memory. Winners will advance to the Orange County level where they will compete for a spot in the California State Poetry Out Loud competition, in hopes of winning at the national level. In total, Poetry Out Loud will award more than $100,000 to state- and national-level winners and their schools in 2022.
How Do Students Sign Up?
Check back in the fall 2022 for the next open application. Auditions will be held after school on TBD.