Poetry in Performance
Poetry is literature in performance. It allows the reader, performer, and listener to dive into human connection and explore past experiences. By writing poetry, we are able to connect with our inner selves and express that to others. Poetry has always been present in human identity. The Poetry Out Loud Competition allows students a chance to explore past poets and themselves, sharing their discoveries with others. Our school sponsors Ms. Robinson and Ms. Spradlin value getting to watch these talented students find their voices.
This year, there was an especially diverse group of students from 9th to 12th grade, who performed poems of various themes. The competition includes National Anthology Recitation and Original Poetry. Students could choose two poems from the anthology on poetryoutloud.org, or they could use two original poems. Some students chose to do both.
The school competition was held on November 1st in the Main Campus Auditorium. The National Anthology Recitation participants performed first. Annika Dalton, 12th grade, chose to recite one of her poems because she knew it already. She enjoyed the poem and it fitted all the requirements. Students also chose poems that resonated with them. Next, the Original Poetry participants performed. Riley Lyndon, 10th grade, performed “A Losing Poem” as her second. She had written a different poem, but it didn’t feel authentic. And so, she wrote a poem about pigeons. A poem that was unlikely to win, but was unfailingly ‘Riley’.
All in all, it was a rich afternoon of poetry. Alan Sheng (National Anthology Recitation) and Ruth Graham (Original Poetry) won first place in their categories and are moving on to the regional competition. Annika Dalton and Riley Lyndon were runner-ups. Congratulations, everybody!
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