Poetry Out Loud
2019 state finalists compete March 10 & 11 in Sacramento
In just 16 days, 52 teenagers will stand up, one by one, each with something to say. They’re coming to Sacramento from up and down the state to be heard. They’re looking to make their mark and capture hearts at the California Poetry Out Loud State Finals.
If faith in our youth and hope for the future is what you seek, look no further.
Young voices from high schools all over the Golden State have captivated audiences at the classroom, school and county level. Now, they’re ready to sound off for the state title, an honor that includes a $200 cash prize, $500 toward literary materials for their school, and an all-expense paid trip to and a chance to win the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest in Washington, D.C. at the end of April.
An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, administered by the California Arts Council, Poetry Out Loud inspires in students the confidence to speak their minds, using one of the most powerful tools at their disposal — art. Teens are given the chance to interact with the words of the masters through recitation, building a relationship with the works and creating a sense of shared ownership branded by their own technique of volume, pitch, pace — and personal point of view.
“The arts give me the courage to express my values with an activist’s voice in the midst of the fear and ignorance,” last year’s state champ, Alexis Rangell-Onwuegbuzia of Orange County, told us.
California is home to the largest event of its kind nationwide and still growing, with all but six of the state’s counties participating for 2019, encompassing 305 schools and 730 teachers, reaching a grand total of 60,600 students across California.
The 14th annual California Poetry Out Loud State Finals will kick off Sunday, March 10 at the California State Library. County champions will be divided into two semifinal heats — Northern Counties, set to start at 10 a.m., followed by the Southern Counties at 2:30 p.m. At the end of each heat, the top scoring students will advance to recite once more during a third and final round taking place the following day, March 11, inside the beautiful and stately Senate chambers of the state Capitol. The final tally will determine who will be crowned this year’s state champion, to serve as the collective expression of California’s creative and conscious youth at the nationals in D.C.
Monday’s final program will also include a group recitation by all participating students and a certificates and awards ceremony honoring each county champ.
This year’s finalists will also be able to join in a new creative writing contest, Poetry Ourselves. The National Endowment for the Arts added Poetry Ourselves to the national event in 2016, and the California Arts Council is thrilled to now offer this opportunity at the state level. County champions are invited to submit an original written poem of no more than 50 lines, to be judged anonymously by a guest poet. The winner of Poetry Ourselves receives $100 and an opportunity to recite their poem at Monday’s final round. A runner-up will also be recognized at the event, and both poems will be published on the California Arts Council’s website.
While only one will be chosen as our state’s champion, all 52 of these students are winners — through their courage, their creativity, their poise and their promise.
To each of you, congratulations! We look forward to hearing your recitations in the finals.
To the rest of California, the nation, and the world: Listen up.
The 2019 California Poetry Out Loud State Finals are free and open to the public, although space may be limited. For more details about the two-day final event and the state POL program, visit capoetryoutloud.org.
