Six students reach state Poetry Out Loud finals
Competition to be held March 9 in Columbia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Six South Carolina high school students earned the right to compete in March to see which best at the recitation and performance of poetry, then represent the state in the Poetry Out Loud national competition.
The South Carolina Arts Commission coordinates Poetry Out Loud in South Carolina, partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to bring the competition to the state’s high school students. The program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry—recitation and performance.
Poetry Out Loud offers a structure that blends the traditional, in-person approach with virtual competitions, expanding access to students who want to participate but whose schools do not offer the program. Schools who registered held in-person competitions locally while individual students who registered performed virtually in front of judges who named finalists.
The finalists this year come from Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Socastee, and Spartanburg:
- Abhirami Balachandran, freshman, Calvary Christian School (Myrtle Beach)
- Eve Decker, sophomore, Spartanburg Day School (Spartanburg)
- Jessie Leitzel, senior, Charleston County School of the Arts (Charleston)
- Erin Maguire, junior, Socastee High School (Socastee)
- Gemma Williams, junior, Ashley Hall (Charleston)
- Catherine Wooten, senior, Westgate Christian School (Spartanburg)
Judging the individual student competition were Paul Kaufmann, an actor and South Carolina Arts Commission acting fellow who was accuracy judge; Kimberly Simms Gibbs, poet and founder of Carolina Poets and Wits’ End Poetry in Greenville; Caelin Kelly, and Ed.S candidate at The Citadel Graduate College; and Beth Watkins, a theatre teacher at Columbia’s Eau Claire High School. Melanie Trimble, a registered drama therapist, was the prompter.
The next step for the six finalists is the state finals competition on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 3 p.m. The competition will be held at the Richland Library Main Branch (1431 Assembly St., Columbia). The state finals champion will receive a $200 prize and get to represent South Carolina in the national finals competition in Washington April 30-May 2, 2024 for the chance to win a $20,000 first prize. Find out more about the national competition here.
About the South Carolina Arts Commission
The mission of the South Carolina Arts Commission is to promote equitable 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.
