Students seek state spot in Poetry Out Loud finals

Students from 12 high schools and education groups will compete at the 2013 state finals for the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, taking place at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth at Tenney Theatre. Admission is free.

The students represent Homeschooling Youth and Parents, Island Pacific Academy, Kamehameha Schools Kapalama, Kauai, Maui and McKinley high schools, Mid-Pacific Institute, Military Home Educators Network, Myron B. Thompson Academy, Parker School, Punahou School and Trinity Christian School.

The state champion will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to the national finals April 28-30 in Washington, D.C., where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.

Judges for the local event, presented by HTY and the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, are Tammy Baker, Brandy McDougall, Craig Santos Perez and Doc Berry. Ben Gutierrez will be the emcee.

The Poetry Out Loud program "builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English classroom," according to a news release.

"Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage."