Last year I had the great pleasure of accompanying the 2010 Arizona Poetry Out Loud State Champion, Elizabeth Andronic, to the National Finals in Washington D.C. While she prepared for the national competition, met with elected officials and spent time getting to know her fellow contestants, Elizabeth always demonstrated grace and passion.
I am always impressed by the students who participate in the Poetry Out Loud program; they are unique, kind, funny, dedicated and driven. As the registration period for the 2011 Poetry Out Loud (POL) program comes to a close, I am grateful to Elizabeth for taking time out of a very busy schedule to share her experience of POL with us in her own words.
What first began as a mandatory classroom assignment ended up becoming quite an eye-opening experience for me. My English teacher got my high school involved with Poetry Out Loud this past year, and encouraged us to take this classroom assignment very seriously. Already involved with the drama department at Centennial High School, speaking in front of large crowds would not be a problem for me. But, as I dove into Poetry Out Loud, I wasn’t completely sure what I was getting myself into.
I realized that reciting poetry is much more difficult than I thought. To get to the heart of a poem, you can’t simply say it out loud; you have to feel and explore it. I learned that each poem has its own unique voice and, to find the voice, one must dissect each poem to discover the author’s intentions. Once you understand the main idea, it is important to be dedicated to rehearsing the recitation. Practice does make perfect, especially in this case.
My high school was extremely supportive, especially the english department. Each day after school, teachers would critique my performance and help me gain a deeper understanding of the poems. Our school’s participation in the state program and the national competition brought recognition to the english and drama departments and piqued other student’s interest in poetry.
Although Poetry Out Loud was stressful and hectic at times, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The program has taught me that you can achieve anything in life if you work hard enough. I competed with students that had much more experience than I, and I learned so much from them. But, my most cherished memory from Poetry Out Loud was meeting and forming lasting friendships with kids that had the same newfound love for poetry as I do.
I will be forever grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation and the Arizona Commission on the Arts for providing such a rewarding experience. I highly encourage anyone interested in participating in Poetry Out Loud to do so. I hope the experience will impact your life as much as it did mine.
This week is the last week to register your school to participate in the 2010-2011 season of Poetry Out Loud. For registration and more information, visit www.azarts.gov/pol.
