Poetry Out Loud celebrates 10th year in San Luis Obispo County

When Hailie Wood, 14, won Central Coast New Tech High School’s first-ever Poetry Out Loud competition, she was more surprised than anyone.

“I was kind of like, ‘Whoa, really? I won?’ ” she laughed. “I did work a lot on the poems, so I felt very confident in what I had done, but it was still really cool.”

Poetry Out Loud features students reciting two poems each from memory. The students are evaluated by a panel of judges on accuracy, confidence, performance delivery and articulation. Students compete first at the classroom, and then at the school level, before moving on to a county competition.

Wood, a freshman, recited “Be Music, Night” by Kenneth Patchen and “Prisoners” by Denise Levertov on Feb. 1 at the school competition. She said she chose them because she connected with the words; Patchen’s poem because Wood sings, Levertov’s poem — an extended metaphor for the author’s journey through life — simply resonated with her.

“ ‘Prisoners,’ I read it and it kind of made me think of past emotions I’ve had,” Wood said, “and the experiences I’ve gone through and how I felt.”

Now Wood will go on to be the high school’s first student to compete at the San Luis Obispo County Poetry Out Loud competition on Friday — an honor she said she was very proud of.

“It’s kind of a big deal: I’m the first winner, and I’m the first one to do it,” she said. “It’s kind of impacting.”

This year’s county competition is special for another reason as well: It marks the 10th anniversary of the local event.

The first Poetry Out Loud competition in San Luis Obispo County in 2007 had only four participating schools, and competitors chose from a collection of almost 500 poems. This year, 10 high schools are competing, with students reciting selections from an anthology of more than 800 poems.

“Once you see it, see these students inhabit those classic poems — you’re hooked,” said Angela Tahti, executive director of ARTS Obispo, which organizes the competition each year.

The winner at the county level will advance to the statewide competition in Sacramento on Feb. 28 and 29.

A San Luis Obispo County student has never advanced beyond the state competition to the national level, Tahti said, though last year’s winner, San Luis Obispo High School senior Ethan McSwain, won third place overall in the state.

“No matter what happens in the competition, these kids own these poems, and can continue to inhabit them for the rest of their lives,” Tahti said. “And often it sparks a deeper relationship with poetry. Many go on to connect with the written language and spoken-word poetry more after this, in college and beyond.”

The national program is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation which partner with U.S. state arts agencies. The contest encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation and helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage, according to an ARTS Obispo press release.

The San Luis Obispo County Poetry Out Loud competition is also sponsored by the California Arts Council, Boo Boo Records, Palm Theatre, Rita’s Rainbows and the SLO County Poetry Out Loud executive team. County-level participants are given goodie bags with donated items from businesses around the county, while the winner and runner-up win $500 and $200 scholarships, respectively, to be given to them upon graduation.

Tahti had the same advice for all of the local competitors before Friday night’s competition:

“Own it, and have fun!”

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Poetry Out Loud celebrates 10th year in San Luis Obispo County."