BALTIMORE, MD (March 31, 2023) - Madison Harris, a ninth grade student from Indian Creek High School in Anne Arundel County, was selected as the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Maryland state champion on Saturday, March 18 during the state finals competition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore. Madison was among nine finalists who were selected from 25 Maryland students representing eight counties that competed in the statewide competitions. The POL poetry recitation contest is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and The Poetry Foundation, and administered by U.S. state arts agencies and regional organizations across the country. This year, the Maryland POL competition was produced by DewMore Baltimore in collaboration with the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC).
During the competition hosted by artist Victor Rodgers, AKA Slangston Hughes, Madison recited “Stomp” by Nikki Grimes; “No, I wasn’t meant to love and be loved” by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib; and “Nocturne” by Louise Glück.
Second place was awarded to Treston Melvin from Pocomoke High School in Worcester County, and third place went to Yasmin Roach from Wilde Lake High School in Howard County. The six remaining finalists were Chloe Choi (Montgomery), Fiona Guo (Worcester), Imari Owens (Carroll), Brennen Peroutka (Baltimore), Abigail Rakow (Montgomery), and Renee Si-ting Wu (Howard).
Participation in POL offers students the opportunity to learn about their literary heritage, build self-confidence, and improve their public speaking skills. The process begins in the fall when participating students select three eligible poems from the POL website, analyze and memorize them, and present the poems at their school competitions. In February, each school winner moves on to regionals and, in March, at the state finals competition, the participants are evaluated on physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, and overall performance.
Prior to the Regional and State Competitions, all students had the opportunity to participate in coaching sessions with a Poetry Coach. Catrice Greer, Erica Miller, Cayla Turner (2018 POL State Champion), and Victor Rodgers served as Poetry Coaches for the 2023 Poetry Out Loud program.
“Poetry holds a special power as an expressive art form," said MSAC Executive Director Steven Skerritt-Davis. “Though often personal to the writer, the meaning and importance of the work can be filtered through our own experience and find new life across communities and generations. The students who competed in the 2023 POL program brought their selected poems to life during this year’s competition with fierce focus and passionate performance. Congratulations to Madison and all of the competitors!”
The Maryland state champion receives $1,200 in combined NEA and MSAC prize funds. The Maryland winner’s school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up receives $600 in combined NEA and MSAC prize funds, with $200 for their school library. At the National Finals, Poetry Out Loud awards a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends, with $20,000 awarded to the Poetry Out Loud National Champion. Click here to view a video of the 2023 Maryland State competition winner.
The 2023 POL Maryland State Finals judges:
Chelsea Lemon Fetzer holds a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and earned her M.F.A. in fiction at Syracuse University in 2008. She is a 2019 Ruby's recipient for the Literary Arts and a recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council’s 2022 Independent Artist Award. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in journals such as Callaloo, Tin House, Mississippi Review, and Minnesota Review. Her essay, “Speck” appears in The Beiging of America: Personal Narratives about being Mixed Race in the 21st Century. Fetzer teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Baltimore, serves as vice chair on the board of CityLit Project, and is lead editor of the Little Patuxent Review.
Michael Sousa is a proud 16-year veteran teacher in Caroline County Public Schools and for the last six years has served as the Literacy Coach at Colonel Richardson High School. He has worked to write unit plans for Transcendental poetry, Shakespeare, and Medieval literature as well as been contracted by MSDE and ETS to write items for the English 10 MCAP exam. Michael's real passion is the theater and has built the CRHS drama program from the ground up and directs/choreographs/designs two shows per school year. He also serves on the executive boards of the Eastern Shore-based Continuum Dance Company and The Groove Theatre, as well as acts with many community theaters in the Mid-Shore area.
Mable Buchanan is an eighth grade ELA teacher in Howard County who is also certified in theater and runs her school’s theater intramural. Mable has a B.A. in English and M.A. in teaching, and has previously worked for three years as a financial news editor. Mable coordinates entries for a local Young Authors’ Contest through the Howard County Literacy Association. Buchanan is passionate about poetry and performance and is excited to contribute to this experience for students in the state of Maryland.
Kari Martindale is a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and spoken word artist who has been published in various literary journals and anthologies, and featured in events and readings across Maryland. Kari sits on the Board of Maryland Writers’ Association and is co-editor of Pen-in-Hand. She has an M.A. in Linguistics, manages EC Poetry & Prose, and values kindness over niceness and justice over peace.