With National Poetry Month just around the corner, EducationNC is highlighting the student who will represent North Carolina at the national Poetry Out Loud competition.
Poetry Out Loud is a partnership between The Poetry Foundation and The National Endowment for the Arts. The national program promotes arts in education, indulging students in literature while simultaneously enhancing their public speaking skills.
This year, Poetry Out Loud is celebrating its 20th anniversary. According to Justine Haka, education programs manager for The Poetry Foundation, the program was first piloted in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Since, it has expanded across all 50 states and other U.S. territories. Their 2024-25 public relations toolkit states that more than 4.4 million students from 20,000 schools across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud since the program began in 2005.
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“We recognize the power of words to transform lives,” Haka said.
For nearly 17 years, she has been a part of the implementation of Poetry Out Loud. Haka further expressed that they, “work to amplify poetry and celebrate poets,” while promoting a space “in which all can create, experience, and share poetry.”
NC Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud welcomes participants from various types to schools — public, private, homeschool, and more. Non-school organizations such as libraries and non-profits are also eligible to implement the program. It is open to students in grades ninth through 12th, with the exception of eighth graders who are enrolled in high school courses.
Poetry Out Loud provides an online poetry anthology consisting of 1,200 classical and contemporary poems. This is the source from which students select poems to study and memorize.
The following are the areas that competitors are evaluated on:
- Physical presence
- Voice and articulation
- Interpretation
- Evidence of understanding
- Overall performance
- Accuracy
The video below features the 2024 Poetry Out Loud national champion, Niveah Glover of Florida.
Between September and February each academic year, participants across the nation compete at their respective schools. From there, finalists advance to the regional and state level competitions in March.
On March 8, the North Carolina Arts Council and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte hosted North Carolina’s Poetry Out Loud state competition. Students from across the state took center stage and offered passionate, memorized poetry recitals.
The NC Poetry Out Loud day-long event was divided into three parts: Central/Western region semifinals, Eastern region semifinals, and state finals. Each semifinal consisted of two rounds in which students recited one poem each per round. Notably, the state final featured a third round.
At the conclusion of semifinals, the three students with the top scores from each regional competition continue to the state final. Thus, six students in total faced off for the title of state champion.
“I truly believe that programs such as this are vital to the development of young adults and their communication skills and public speaking that they can use in the future. So, yeah, I kind of believe that these programs not only help develop the human mind, it can develop our sense of self, but it’s also so much fun.”
Yazid Bonilla, Guilford County Schools student and NC Poetry Out Loud finalist
Advancing to nationals
ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center is a partnership between the Charlotte-Mecklenburg library and the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. According to the theater’s director of development, Emily Chuma, it is the only library-theater combo in the country. It has served as the host site for the NC Poetry Out Loud competition since 2023.
Chuma stated that, while students may never step foot on a stage again after high school, opportunities like Poetry Out Loud help them develop “skills that are going to live with them no matter what career path they go down.”
Sarah Henry, Union County educator, believes that the competition shows “the dynamic features of literature,” allowing students who choose to engage to embody a poem – “they really understand the power of literature.”
Henry accompanied her student, Anika Ryder, to the competition. Currently a sophomore at Central Academy of Technology and Arts, she participated in the event for the first time last year and made it to the semi-final round. After returning this year, Ryder’s profound performance landed her the title of the 2025 NC Poetry Out Loud Champion.
When reflecting on her experience, Ryder highlighted the community of support fostered amongst participants backstage.
“Whenever you do these kinds of youth arts programs, everyone just comes together and we all are here doing something we love, and it’s just really special,” she said.
In May, Ryder will travel to Washington, D.C. to compete against other students from across the country for a chance to win $20,000.
“I am so humbled and grateful to have been able to do this, and I hope that I do North Carolina justice at nationals,” Ryder said.
