Eleventh grader Kaitlyn Lubega performs at the New Mexico Poetry Out Loud state championship in March 2024. Courtesy/New Mexico Arts

NMDCA News:

The New Mexico Poetry Out Loud champion, Kaitlyn Lubega, an 11th grader attending United World College in Montezuma, is headed to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C. The National Finals run May 1-2, bringing together high school students from across the nation to the capital for an exciting poetry recitation competition.

The New Mexico program is produced and directed by the state arts agency, New Mexico Arts, and offers state high school students an opportunity to improve their public speaking skills, build confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

“Earning a place amongst a group of such talented peers in the Poetry Out Loud National Competition is both a humbling honor and an incredibly rewarding opportunity,” Lubega said. “I’m extremely excited and fortunate to be able to give voice to the values I hold dear and represent the beautiful state of New Mexico. Poetry has always been a sanctuary for expressing myself, in such a liberating way, a place where my passions ignite and take flight.”

Each poem recitation will be judged on a variety of criteria from physical presence to voice and articulation, to overall performance and accuracy. The top three students from each semifinal, nine in total, will move on to the National Finals, which will be webcast live beginning at 5 p.m. MT May 2. In total, $50,000 in awards and school/organization stipends, including a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion, will be presented at the National Finals.

“This is a thrilling journey that began in the fall, recruiting schools from across the state to participate and teaching students how to interpret, memorize and recite great poetry. It was inspiring to watch each school perform at the State Finals in March. I can’t wait to cheer on Kaitlyn as she competes against the very best in the nation,” says New Mexico Arts’ Poetry Out Loud coordinator, Kevin Lenkner. “What a fantastic opportunity for Kaitlyn, her school and all of New Mexico to be a part of the Poetry Out Loud program!”

Poetry Out Loud was started by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation in 2005. Participating students memorize and recite poems they select from an anthology of more than 1,200 classic and contemporary poems. More than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools and organizations across the nation have participated since its start. For more information visit PoetryOutLoud.org.

About New Mexico Arts

New Mexico Arts is the state arts agency and a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs. New Mexico Poetry Out Loud is made possible by New Mexico Arts through support from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. For more information about New Mexico Arts visit nmarts.org.