Finding Community and Purpose in Poetry
Securing a spot in the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud Regional Semifinals offered one student the chance to share messages of meaning to a wider world.
West ’28 represented Kimball Union Academy in the regional semifinals this month at New England College as part of a national competition designed to bring poems to life for high-school students while helping them develop public speaking skills and an understanding of literary history and the world around them.
“I was excited about performing at the regional Poetry Out Loud competition because it gave me the chance to share the impactful messages of my poems with a wider audience, as well as meet other students who are as enthusiastic about performing as I am,” said West, who won the school-level competition and advanced to the regional semifinals.
West memorized and recited two poems, We Are Not Responsible by Harryette Mullen and the name before the name before mine by Jay Besemer.
For the past two years, all ninth-grade students at KUA have had the opportunity to memorize and perform poems in front of their classmates and faculty judges as a part of the competition. In January 14 students competed in a school-wide semifinal to determine who would advance to the regional semifinals in February.
“Ninth graders participate in Poetry Out Loud to build community, confidence, and a love for poetry,” says Jenny Blue, Chair of the English Department who accompanied West at the competition.
After a strong performance, West was named an alternate for the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud State Finals.
