COLUMBIA, S.C. – Nine high school students from across the state competed in Columbia Saturday in the state competition for the national Poetry Out Loud contest. Samara L.A. Simmons, a student from Academic Magnet High School in Charleston, was selected to advance to the National Endowment of the Arts’ Poetry Out Loud national finals April 30 – May 1. Cara Shaw, of York Comprehensive High School in York County, was named runner-up. Caitlin Tuten-Rhodes of Ashley Hall in Charleston was named second runner-up.
Simmons impressed the judges with her recitation of Dudley Randall’s “Ballad of Birmingham.” She also recited Walt Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” and “Bilingual/Bilingüe,” by Rhina P. Espaillat. She receives $200, a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books for her school library, and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national finals, where $50,000 in scholarships and prizes will be awarded. Shaw receives $100, and her library receives a $200 poetry book stipend.
The competition took place during a full day of free poetry-related events sponsored by the University of South Carolina’s SC Poetry Initiative. Other students competing in the state competition Saturday were: Ashley Blanchard, Timberland High School, Berkeley; Hallie Cardé, Richland Northeast High School, Richland; Rachel Short, Chapin High School, Richland; Kylie Witiak, Dutch Fork High School, Richland; Erika Whatley, Fine Arts Center, Greenville; and Jasmine Aye, Greenwood High, Greenwood.
Forty-five high schools in 22 South Carolina counties have participated in this year’s “Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest,” a program offered by SC Arts Commission in partnership with the National Endowment of the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Students progressed from classroom to school-wide contests to compete in one of three regional competitions: Lowcountry, Midlands or Upstate. Three students from each region advanced to the state finals.
Partnering with the Arts Commission to carry out this year’s statewide program are State Poet Laureate Marjory Wentworth, Hub City Writers Project, Lowcountry Initiative for the Literary Arts, the SC Literary Arts Partnership, SC Book Festival, the Humanities Council SC and USC’s SC Poetry Initiative. For more information about Poetry Out Loud, visit www.poetryoutloud.org or contact Theresa Wallace, program coordinator of the SC Literary Arts Partnership Program, at twallace@arts.state.sc.us or 803/734-8639.
About SCAC
The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission focuses on increasing public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.
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