Congratulations to Madeline Luther, Okanogan High School,
2019 Poetry Out Loud State Champion

Madeline Luther from Okanogan High School is the 2019 Washington State Poetry Out Loud Champion. Photo by Pavel Verbovski.
OLYMPIA, WA - Madeline Luther, a junior at Okanogan High School, Okanogan County, is the Poetry Out Loud Washington State Champion for the 2018-19 school year. She was among thirteen regional champions to vie for the title at the State Final held in Tacoma on March 2.

Meliza Redulla from North Thurston High School, Thurston County, was named first runner-up. Honorable mentions went to Kianna Miller, Sequim High School, Clallam County; Anneka Siems, Concordia Christian Academy, Pierce County; and Kezia Thompson, Squalicum High School, Whatcom County.

Rising to the top from a competitive field of over 18,000 students from 66 schools across the state, Madeline will represent Washington State at the National Poetry Out Loud Final later this spring in Washington D.C.

In addition to participating in Poetry Out Loud, Madeline is a member of the school drama club, the art club, an honors student, and a cheerleader. She say she's been around a lot of sports competition but nothing is like competing in Poetry Out Loud. 

"The fact that I was able to compete using poetry was important to me," she said. "To stand up on a stage alone can be unnerving, but it also helped me to grow." 

At the state and national finals, students are required to have three poems prepared. Madeline's poems included  All This and More  by Mary Karr;  On Quitting  by Edgar Albert Guest; and  Chorus Sacerdotum   by Baron Brooke Fulke Greville.
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and coordinated in Washington by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), the program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to schools serving grades nine through twelve. Students choose and memorize poems from the official Poetry Out Loud anthology, a collection of over 900 classic and contemporary poems. 

ArtsWA coordinates the program in the Puget Sound region, in addition to overseeing the statewide program. Partners include five organizations in other regions that support local school participation and the regional finals across the state. This year's partners were Spokane Arts in Eastern Washington; Mid-Columbia Libraries in Southeast Washington; Yakima Valley College in Central Washington; Skagit River Poetry Foundation in Northwest Washington; and Educational Service District 112 in Southwest Washington.

Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure to advance the students to all-school and regional competitions. At each stage of the competition beginning at the classroom level, student recitations are judged according to the Poetry Out Loud evaluation criteria, including physical presence, voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, and accuracy. 

"All the students displayed an emotional maturity that was beyond their age," said Langston Wilkins, a judge at the State Final. Wilkins said he was familiar with Poetry Out Loud from his past experience with the Tennessee State Final.

This was Jim Cantú's first experience with Poetry Out Loud, and was clearly impressed with all the students.  "As a judge it was a challenge to rate the students," Cantú said, "especially understanding the amount of work it took to prepare."

The State Final judges included:
  • Jim Cantú - A Seattle poet, author, and radio producer
  • Tracy Hyland - Actor, teaching artist, and education manager at ACT Theatre
  • Aira Jackson - English Language Arts and Literacy Director, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
  • Rosanna Sharpe - Executive Director of The REACH Museum in Richland, and ArtsWA Commissioner
  • Maria-Tania Bandes B. Weingarden - Theatre faculty at UW-Tacoma
  • Langston Collin Wilkins - Director, Center for Washington Cultural Traditions        
As the Washington State Champion, Madeline Luther will receive an award of $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at the national championship. Okanogan High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. First runner-up Meliza Redulla will receive $100, with a $200 stipend going to North Thurston High School.

The 2018-19 Poetry Out Loud Regional Champions
Photo by  Pavel Verbovski

Standing from left to right:
Sitlali Cortes, Naches Valley High School, Yakima County
Grace Hill, Anacortes High School, Skagit County
Anna Kolarksy, The Oaks Classical Christian Academy, Spokane County
Madeline Luther, Okanogan High School, Okanogan County  (State Champion)
Mila Fuentes, Trout Lake High School, Clark County
Isaac Lu, Cedar Tree School, Clark County
Jorge Medina, East Valley High School, Yakima County
 Natalie McQuade, Delta High School, Benton County
Kianna Miller, Sequim High School, Clallam County  (Honorable Mention)
Braden Robinson, Crosspoint Academy, Kitsap County
Meliza Redulla, North Thurston High School Thurston Countyl  (Runner-up)
Anneka Siems, Concordia Christian Academy , Pierce County  (Honorable Mention)
Kezia Thompson, Squalicum High School, Whatcom County (Honorable Mention)
About Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud gives students an opportunity to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. To find out how to get involved in the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, visit   poetryoutloud.org .
 

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit  arts.gov .
 
About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of  Poetry  magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs.  For more information, please visit  poetryfoundation.org .
 
About ArtsWA
ArtsWA is the Washington State Arts Commission, a state government agency established in 1961. ArtsWA works to be a catalyst for the arts, advancing the role of the arts in the lives of individuals and communities throughout the state. Programs include Art in Public Places, Arts in Education, Grants to Organizations, and other special projects. For more information visit  arts.wa.gov .
The Washington State Arts Commission is committed to values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and creative expression. We believe in diverse forms of artistic expression, and we believe in access to arts and arts education for all individuals in our state. The arts can and should play a role in addressing inequities, modeling inclusion, and teaching empathy.
For more information contact:
Glenda Carino | W. 360.586.8093 | C: 360.259.7862 | g [email protected]
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