VIRGINIA STUDENT
WINS national
Poetry Out Loud
COMPETITION
Richmond, VA –
Virginia’s
Poetry Out Loud
champion has won the
national
competition. William
Farley of Arlington
captivated both
judges and audience
with his poetry
recitations to gain
the title of 2009
Poetry Out Loud
National
Champion. Farley
receives a $20,000
award and his high
school,
Washington-Lee High
School, will receive
a $500 stipend for
the purchase of
poetry books.
The Virginia state
Poetry Out Loud
competition is
coordinated by
School of the
Performing Arts in
the Richmond
Community – SPARC -
with funding from
the
Virginia Commission
for the Arts. The
program is sponsored
by the National
Endowment for the
Arts and the Poetry
Foundation.
In addition to the
cash prizes, Farley,
a senior at
Washington-Lee High
School in Arlington,
as part of the
recognition of
excellence and
achievement will
recite a poem at the
rededication of the
Lincoln Memorial in
May 2009, an event
sponsored by the
National Park
Service in
Washington, D. C.
Virginia has held a
state
Poetry Out Loud
competition for the
past four years.
Peggy Baggett,
Executive Director
of the Virginia
Commission for the
Arts, said “We are
thrilled that the
National Champion is
one of our talented
Virginia students.
Will Farley will go
far in this world.
The Virginia
Commission for the
Arts is grateful to
the staff of SPARC
for their excellent
work in organizing
the state
competition and
helping Will win
this great honor.”
The
Virginia competition
was held March 9 at
the Library of
Virginia.
Poetry Out Loud
is sponsored by the
National Endowment
for the Arts and The
Poetry Foundation.
Managed by SPARC
Program Director,
Laine Satterfield,
over 7,500 Virginia
high school students
competed in this
year’s competition
with 37 schools
represented at the
State finals.
Virginia Currents’
May Lily-Lee was the
MC of the event.
Judges included
Virginia’s Poet
Laureate, Claudia
Emerson; Department
of Education’s Tracy
Robertson; and
Director of the
Richmond Boy’s
Choir, Billy Dye.
Richmond director,
Rusty Wilson, and
Laine coached Will
for his appearance
in the Nationals.
Nationally,
this year’s
Poetry Out Loud
competition involved
more than 1,500 high
schools and 300,000
high school
students. Guest
judges presiding
over the national
competition,
including Garrison
Keillor, host of the
radio show
A
Prairie Home
Companion,
award-winning
actress Tyne
Daly, journalist
Jeffrey Brown,
founder of
Quest: arts for
everyone Tim
McCarty, and poets
Suji Kwock-Kim,
Patricia Smith, and
Luis Rodriguez.
Singer-songwriter
Natalie Merchant
gave a special
performance of
poetry-inspired
songs. Scott Simon
of National Public
Radio served as
master of
ceremonies.
SPARC’s Artistic
Director, Jennie
Brown said, “When we
saw Will compete
here in Richmond in
the State finals, we
knew he was a
contender for the
national title. What
a remarkable young
man he is, and what
enormous potential.”
William Farley, is congratulated by Virginia’s Poet Laureate, Claudia Emerson, upon winning the Virginia Championship in March.
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Satterfield,
who was with Farley
and his family at
the national finals
said, “What a great
event it was in
Washington watching
and spending time
with this remarkable
young man and his
family. He is a true
gentleman and such a
sweet soul. I could
not have been more
proud to be his and
Virginia’s state
representative.”
William Farley’s
final recitation for
the evening was
“Danse Russe” by
William Carlos
Williams, a wry look
at a middle-aged
man's fancies and
foibles. A senior
at Washington-Lee
High School in
Arlington, Farley
will attend Bucknell
University in the
fall.
“Everyone at
Washington-Lee is
extraordinarily
proud of Will Farley
as well as all of
the other students
who participated in
Poetry Out Loud,”
said Paul Jamelske,
the high school’s
Assistant Principal.
“We know Will has
worked very hard
with this endeavor,
and it shows.”
On April 27, 53 high
school students –
Poetry Out Loud
champions from every
state, the District
of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands –
competed in three
semifinal rounds
based on geographic
region. Twelve
students advanced to
compete in the
National Finals on
April 28.
Judges evaluated
student performances
on criteria
including physical
presence,
articulation,
evidence of
understanding, level
of difficulty, and
accuracy. Students
performed poems from
the
Poetry Out Loud
print and online
anthologies (www.poetryoutloud.org).
The event was the
culmination of a
pyramid-structure
competition that
began last September
among schools across
the country.
The National Finals
are the result of
efforts by many
partners. The NEA
and the Poetry
Foundation have
contributed support
for administration
of the program,
educational
materials, and
prizes for both the
state and National
Finals. In
Virginia, the
Virginia Commission
for the Arts engages
SPARC to implement
the program. SPARC
promotes
Poetry Out Loud
in high schools
across the state,
runs the State
finals, and prepares
the Virginia
champion for the
nationals. The
Poetry Out Loud
National Finals was
administered by the
Mid Atlantic Arts
Foundation.
Poetry Out Loud
seeks to foster the
next generation of
literary readers by
building on the
resurgence of poetry
as an oral art form,
as seen in the slam
poetry movement and
the popularity of
rap music among
youth. Through
Poetry Out Loud,
students can master
public speaking
skills, build
self-confidence, and
learn about their
literary heritage.
Now in its fourth
year of national
competition,
Poetry Out Loud
has inspired
thousands of high
school students to
discover classic and
contemporary
poetry.
Past Virginia
Poetry Out Loud
winners include:
2006 - Johnny Coyle,
St. Christopher’s
School, Richmond;
2007 - Alana Rivera,
Washington-Lee High
School, Arlington,
who placed third in
the nation; and Tia
Robertson,
Rappahannock High
School, Warsaw.
