Above: Maiss Hussein, Delaware’s 2024 Poetry Out Loud state champion. Photo courtesy Delaware Division of the Arts.
By Mary Ellen Mitchell
Poetry, the oldest form of literary art, offers an understanding of the human experience. When read aloud, the emotions, recollections and truths the reader conveys serve to capture the imagination and transport the listener to another place and time.
In keeping with this oral tradition, students representing 11 Delaware high schools will take part in the Delaware state finals of the national Poetry Out Loud (POL) program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA). The winner of the state finals will represent Delaware at the national POL competition in early May.
Since POL began in 2005, this arts education program has helped promote poetry appreciation for more than 4 million young adults representing 17,000 high schools and organizations from 50 states and three U.S. territories.
Designed to meet the poetry requirement of high school English curriculum standards, POL is offered through English class at some high schools and as a club activity or elective at others. Teachers and facilitators receive POL education materials at no cost.
At the start of the school year, participants select three previously published poems from a comprehensive online anthology of more than 1,200 works, ranging in style from classic to contemporary. Poems are searchable by any topic imaginable, such as “social justice,” “fire” or “clouds.”
Participants spend the next few months memorizing and reciting to POL teachers, mentors, facilitators and classmates, for feedback on their performance. As the state and national competitions draw nearer, POL teaching artists coach participants individually.
Delaware’s three POL teaching artists, who serve under the leadership of DDOA Executive Director Jessica Ball, include Dr. Traci Currie (Poet-in-Residence for Poetry as Activism Project, University of Delaware), Dana Kinsey (Poet Laureate, City of Lancaster, Pa.) and Dr. JoAnn Balingit (Delaware’s 16th Poet Laureate). Together with Chief Officer Sheila Ross, these ambassadors of poetry travel statewide to participating high schools, providing education workshops for participants and teachers, as well as ongoing program recruitment and implementation support.
“I find it compelling when I hear from former POL participants who are surprised by how much they enjoyed the experience and how it led them to develop a love of poetry,” Balingit says.
After fine-tuning their delivery, participants perform their recitations, first at school competitions. School competition winners advance to the Delaware State Finals. Contestants at all levels are evaluated based on stage presence, voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, interpretation, accuracy and overall performance. Judges have backgrounds in poetry, literature and theater.
Eleven winners will advance to the POL State Finals on Thursday, Feb. 20, at The Smyrna Opera House, where they will each recite their poems before a live audience.
The POL Delaware State Finals champion will bring home $200, a proclamation from Gov. Matt Meyer, and a paid trip to the National Finals. The state champion’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The runner-up will receive $100, with a $200 school stipend.
Delaware’s 2024 state champion, Maiss Hussein of Hodgson Vo-Tech, read the poem “If They Should Come for Us” by Fatimah Asghar. “This poem resonated with me,” Hussein says. “I dove into every line, examining the word choice and structure to uncover meaning.”
But like any art form, “poetry is interpreted through our individual sensibilities and perspectives,” she says. Hussein was also state champion in 2023.
One winner from each state will advance to the POL National Finals, which will be held in Washington, D.C. from May 5 to 7. First-, second-, and third-place winners will receive $20,000, $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. The state champion will also take home the POL trophy for display at their school until the following year.
In addition, national winners from fourth to ninth place receive $1,000 each. The representative schools of each of the top nine finalists receive a $500 school stipend. Honorable mention cash prizes will also be awarded.
“As teens, we’re just beginning to figure out who we are,” Hussein says. “The POL experience has helped me understand myself better and connect with others on a deeper level. I’ve also gained self-confidence, communication skills and the ability to speak publicly without fear.”
— To learn how Delaware high school students can participate in POL, visit Arts.Delaware.Gov. For more information on the history and impact of POL, visit PoetryOutLoud.org.
