Florence student is state Poetry Out Loud champ
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The state finals for Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation and performance competition, yielded a new state champion from Florence who will represent South Carolina in the national competition.
(l-r) Samuel Kitchen, Faith Angeline Ongaria, Eden Witherspoon. SCAC image. Click to enlarge.
In her first experience with Poetry Out Loud, Faith Angeline Ongaria of Florence, a senior who attends Wilson High School, came to the state finals and earned first prize over five other finalists in the in-person competition held Saturday, March 8 in Columbia.
As the new state champion, she will receive a $200 prize and get to represent South Carolina in the national finals competition among a total of 55 state and jurisdictional finalists for the chance to win the $20,000 first prize. The 2025 national finals will be held May 5-7 in Washington.
The South Carolina Arts Commission coordinates Poetry Out Loud in South Carolina to bring the competition to South Carolina 9-12 graders in public, private and homeschools.
Samuel Kitchen of Spartanburg, representing Spartanburg Day School, placed second. Eden Witherspoon of Lancaster, representing Lancaster High School, was third-place winner.
Al Black, poet; Cindi Boiter, Jasper Project executive director; poet, USC English professor, and recipient of the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts in the individual category Ed Madden; and performing artist Marilyn Matheus served as judges. Stage actor and SCAC fellow Paul Kaufmann was accuracy judge. Actor and theatre professional Katie Mixon was performance coach. Serving as host was Ray McManus, English professor at USC Sumter and recipient of the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts in the artist category. Thomas Maluck, Richland Library teen services librarian, was the prompter.
About the South Carolina Arts Commission
The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission is to promote access to the arts and support the cultivation of creativity in South Carolina. We envision a South Carolina where the arts are valued and all people benefit from a variety of creative experiences.
A state agency created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the SCAC works to increase public participation in the arts through grants, direct programs, staff assistance and partnerships in artist development, arts industry, arts learning, creative placemaking, and folklife and traditional arts. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the SCAC is funded by the state of South Carolina, by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. Visit SouthCarolinaArts.com or call 803.734.8696, and follow @SCArtsComm on Facebook, Instagram, and X for #Arts4SC and #SCArtists content.
