Art is what gives me life. It’s the blood running through my veins, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” — Charlotte Bailey
Charlotte Bailey, a freshman at Paso Robles High School, represented San Luis Obispo County in the California Poetry Out Loud state finals March 8-9. This was the first year the ninth-grader was eligible to compete in the recitation contest.
Poetry Out Loud, a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and participating state and jurisdictional arts agencies, gives high school students the opportunity to select poems to perform. On the local level, SLO County Arts coordinates the competition with the California Arts Council.
Students are judged on a range of criteria, including presence, voice and articulation, interpretation, and evidence of understanding. The program begins with classroom competitions, followed by school-wide, then county-wide, then state-wide levels. The contest concludes with a national competition in Washington, D.C.
According to SLO County Arts program coordinator Summer Truschke, Poetry Out Loud is “a dynamic recitation competition that is designed to improve their public speaking skills, help build confidence, and teach them about literary history.”
Six SLO County high school students gathered January 31 at the SLO Museum of Art to recite poetry and compete, with Bailey declared the winner. Runner-up was Naomi James, a tenth-grader from SLO High School. Other participants included Orion Schmidt (12th grade, Arroyo Grande High School), Astrid Barnett-Davis (12th grade, Morro Bay High School), Abel Richert (10th grade, SLO Classical Academy), and Maryrose Campbell (10th grade, homeschool).
Prior to the State competition, SLO Review asked Bailey about her Poetry Out Loud experience.
Rebecca Jackoway: What sparked your interest in poetry?
Charlotte Bailey: To be completely honest, I wasn’t even going to participate in my high school competition, but my English teacher convinced me to, and I had so much fun. I really think that if it weren’t for Mr. [Aiden] Evans, I wouldn’t be in this situation at all, so to him I’m really grateful.
RJ: Which poems did you choose, and what inspired those choices?
Bailey: I chose to perform “Before a Painting” by James Weldon Johnson and “Militants to Certain Other Women” by Katharine Rolston Fisher. Picking my poems for the competition was rather difficult, and I wanted to pick ones that spoke to me. I like both of them, but I think my favorite was “Militants to Certain Other Women.” I think it’s a really powerful, feminist poem urging people to act rather than stay silent, and it’s an important message, especially now with everything going on in the world.
RJ: What was the experience of reading at the SLO County Poetry Out Loud competition like?
Bailey: Reciting these poems at the POL competition was pretty nerve-wracking, but also really fun. Everyone there was really friendly and talkative, and a lot of us were able to bond over our collective nervousness, so that was nice. Also, reciting them in general was really great, because you’re just in a room full of people who are just as interested in poetry as you, and you get to share your favorites with them! It feels like such an honor that I won. Everyone who participated was so amazing, and I’m really proud of all of us for getting to the county level. . . Overall, this was a truly fantastic event to be a part of, and I can’t thank everyone enough for making this happen and giving me the honor of winning the County competition.
Editor’s Note: Lillian Braly of Marin County was named champion of this year’s California Poetry Out Loud contest. She will go on to represent the state of California at the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest April 27-29 in Washington, D.C.