Six NM students to compete in Poetry Out Loud

Adrian Gomez, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read

Mar. 8—For more than a decade, Poetry Out Loud has given New Mexico high school students a platform to use their words.

This year may look a little different as the competition is virtual. Nonetheless, six students will complete to become state champion.

The six finalists — Vanessa Sosa of Arrowhead Park Early College High School in Las Cruces, Analisa Ibarra of La Cueva High School, Barbara Akin of Los Lunas High School, Zoe Sloan Callan of Native American Community Academy (NACA), Michelle Montez of Taos High School, and Jenna Tulonen of Volcano Vista High School — earned their way towards the shot after competing at the classroom level.

According to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, there were 169 students through eight schools that began the competition.

The event will take place on Zoom at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 14. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.

The state winner will receive $200, plus $500 for their school library for the purchase of poetry books, and the honor or representing New Mexico at the virtual Poetry Out Loud National Finals this spring. At the National Finals, a total of $50,000 in awards and stipends will be given, including a $20,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place, and $5,000 for third place.

New Mexico Arts Executive Director Michelle Laflamme-Childs will host the event, which will include special guests from New Mexico School for the Arts and New Mexico School for the Deaf performing the National Anthem.

State Poet Laureate Levi Romero, University of New Mexico professor Lisa D. Chavez, and Eastern New Mexico University professor Lindsay Tigue will serve as recitation judges, and Santa Fe poet Debbi Brody will serve as accuracy judge.

Poetry Out Loud also looked locally to create the poster. The illustration "Dissection of an Unidentified Object" is by Emily Cai, who is a student at Centennial High in Las Cruces.

"This piece was part of a series of 'otherworldly still lives' in colored pencil," Cai said. "Basically, I wanted to portray ordinary objects from an alien's point of view."

Poetry Out Loud

To access the event via Zoom at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 14, visit https://nmculture-org.zoom.us/j/94268295252?pwd=Z09zV3lGZnAxNGdpYk1FcndSRlhPZz09.