2007
Poetry Out LoudTexas Sponsor
2007
Poetry Out Loud Participants Texas State Finals ".
. . Touch me,/ remind me who I am." With the final words of Stanley Kunitz's
poem "Touch Me," Albert Drake of Carver Magnet High School (Aldine)
won the 2007 Poetry Out Loud Texas State Championship. The competition and poetry
celebration was held March 3, in the historic Caldwell House at 1404 West Ave.
in Austin. Albert won for his recitations of Stanley Kunitz's "Touch Me"
and Robert Hayden's "Frederick Douglass." Albert was accompanied by
his teacher, Reba Kochersperger, who organized the competition at Carver Magnet
High School. Twenty schools from the central Texas region participated in
the Poetry Out Loud program this year, and eleven schools sent student representatives
to the state finals. The day's festivities also included stirring readings by
local Austin poets Kurt Heinzelman and Ric Williams. Poetry Out Loud is
a nationwide poetry recitation contest for high school students, funded by the
National Endowment for the Arts and The
Poetry Foundation. In Texas, the competition is organized by the Writers'
League of Texas with additional financial support from the Texas
Commission on the Arts. The purpose of Poetry Out Loud is to foster an awareness
and appreciation of the rich oral tradition of American poetry. The first nationwide
competition was held in 2006. Beginning in November, the Writers' League
hired two professional poets, Grady Hillman and Beverly Monestier, to serve as
coordinators and advisors to high schools participating in the program. Between
November and March, Grady and Beverly visited each school and helped train students
in the art of poetry recitation. As the state champion, Albert Drake receives
a $200 book voucher and a new cell phone from Cricket, the sponsor for the state
finals. Carver Magnet receives a $500 book voucher for purchasing poetry books.
Albert also wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the
National Poetry Out Loud Championship at the end of April. The National Champion
will receive a $20,000 college scholarship, and runners-up will receive $1,000
scholarships. The Writers' League is grateful to all of the teachers and
parents who invested the time and energy in preparing students for the competition.
Special thanks go to the judges who volunteered their time and expertise: Prof.
Kurt Heinzelman, Ric Williams, Nancy Kennedy Connolly, and Gabrielle Faust. Thanks
also to Writers' League volunteers Diane Hernandez, Donah Matza, and Angero Holt. With
continued support from NEA and TCA, the Writers' League looks forward to expanding
the program to involve more Texas high schools in the future. Congratulations
to all Participating Students in the 2007 Poetry Out Loud Competition:
- Veronica
Ray, Incarnate Word High School, San Antonio
- Trevor Ayer, Connally
High School, Pflugerville
- Lindsey Robertson, Dripping Springs High
School, Dripping Springs
- Briane Willis, Katherine Anne Porter School,
Wimberley
- Emily Mella, Churchill High School, San Antonio
- Albert
Drake, Carver Magnet High School, Aldine
- Dustin Thoms, REACH High
School, River Oaks
- Kaleigh Burnett, Del Valle High School, Del Valle
- Maria
Little, Samuel Clemens High School, Schertz
- Peter Escobar, Spring
Woods High School, Houston
- Amber Lyle, North East School of the Arts,
San Antonio
Poetry Out Loud Judges
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