Lest you think screens have completely taken over teens' minds, note that more than 4 million high school students have been reciting poetry for fun and competition for the past 20 years as part of a national contest called Poetry Out Loud.
The finals take place this week in Washington, D.C.
Student competitors master poems from across eras and styles, working on their physical presence, voice, articulation, accuracy, and above all, interpretation. To advance to the finals, they first had to win local and regional competitions.
Co-founded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the competition involves state arts councils and schools across the country, as well as tens of thousands of teachers, librarians and poets who coach students through the process.
For the 20th annual Poetry Out Loud finals this week (May 5-7), 55 students, one champion from every state and American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands will compete in the semifinals. The national winner will be announced Wednesday evening.
We talked to the Poetry Out Loud state champions from West Virginia, Ohio, Arizona and Washington, D.C.
West Virginia: Emily Porter
Logan High School
Logan County, W.Va.
Favorite poem to recite: Passive Voice by Laura Da'
"It's about Native Americans and their culture and how they have been erased from history," said Porter. "I feel that it was very relevant to everything that is happening in the world today. So it was able to resonate with others."
Ohio: Zeke Moses
Age: 15
Bexley High School
Columbus, Ohio
Favorite poem to recite: America, I Sing You Back by Allison Adelle Hedge Coke
"To be so honest, I was never the type of person who loved poetry or appreciated poetry to the fullest," said Moses. "But as I've gone through the process, I've developed a newfound love of poetry. I'm dissecting these poems and I'm feeling more confident in understanding poems that I would have no idea what they're about before this process."
District of Columbia: Nyla Dinkins
Age: 16
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
Washington, D.C.
Favorite poem to recite: Learning to Read by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
"Although it is a competition, there's definitely community," said Dinkins, who was a finalist in 2024. "I remember some of my fondest moments from last year for Poetry Out Loud were backstage with the other eight finalists. And I just remember that even though there was a lot of anticipation and fear back there, there was also a lot of laughter."
Arizona: Liam McLaughlin
Age: 16
Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy
Glendale, Ariz.
Favorite poem to recite: We Used Our Words We Used What Words We Had By Franny Choi
"It's just a really beautiful poem about using words and using that as a way to create change, to inspire others," said McLaughlin. "And even if we are limited in the words that we have, we can still make an impact and that we are still very strong."
Jennifer Vanasco edited this story for web and air.
Copyright 2025 NPR
