NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
May 7, 2008
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Contact: Carla Walker, Director of Communications
Oklahoma Humanities Council
(405) 235-0280 • carla@okhumanitiescouncil.org
** Digital images of Hannah Roark available by email **
Stillwater Student Among Twelve Finalists at
National Poetry Out Loud Competition
Oklahoma City, OK -- Hannah Roark, a senior at Stillwater High School, represented Oklahoma last week at the third annual Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest in Washington, D.C. From a field of 52 state champions, she advanced to be one of 12 finalists. The event was the culmination of competitions that began in classrooms last September and included more than 1,500 schools and 200,000 students around the country. As a finalist Roark received a $1000 scholarship and her school received $500 for the purchase of poetry books.
Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization and performance. Oklahoma’s competition is facilitated by the Oklahoma Humanities Council in partnership with the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation.
On April 28, Poetry Out Loud champions from every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands competed in three semifinal rounds based on geographic region. Twelve students, including Roark, advanced to compete in the National Finals on April 29. Judges evaluated performances on physical presence, articulation, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, and accuracy.
Like most students, Roark assumed that poetry recitation was an obscure, inaccessible literary form before participating in the program. “A few months ago I thought poetry readings belonged in the smoky night clubs of the ’60s, recited in dark glasses and a beret, accompanied by bongos and finger-snapping,” Roark stated. “Poetry recitation was something I could not connect with. Poetry Out Loud changed my stereotypical opinion. In learning to recite my poems, I was surprised to find that I could relate to each one.
My experience in Poetry Out Loud was challenging, enriching and rewarding. It really deepened my appreciation of poetry itself, my respect for the poets who write, and my admiration for the people who devote themselves to the art of poetry. I am so grateful to the Oklahoma Humanities Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council, my English and humanities teacher, Sally Walkiewicz, and my family for supporting me and making the opportunity possible. I was honored to represent Oklahoma and would encourage everyone to take part in Poetry Out Loud.”
Sally Walkiewicz, Roark’s teacher, also attended the national competition and had an opportunity to meet with participating teachers from across the nation. This year’s competition was Walkiewicz’s first experience with the program and she is eager to repeat it with future students. “The thing that most impressed me was the students’ affection for and understanding of the poems they chose,” said Walkiewicz. “For me, it was an opportunity to make poetry an active experience for my students, not a passive one.
“To hear them argue about the meaning of lines in poems was eye-opening. I could not believe the enthusiasm the students brought to the project. I would encourage teachers to offer the program because it seems to tap into a need that students have not been able to articulate. It makes them feel connected to the larger world and to cultural traditions that sometimes they feel have no relevance or meaning to them.”
Shawntay Henry of the United States Virgin Islands won the title of 2008 Poetry Out Loud National Champion and a $20,000 scholarship prize. To find out how to participate in the 2009 Poetry Out Loud contest, visit the Oklahoma Humanities Council website: www.okhumanitiescouncil.org.
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