On January 28 in the North Atlanta Auditorium, the school held the annual “Poetry Out Loud” competition. This entry-level event was the first step to get to the national competition, where along with the prestige, the winner will receive a hefty $20,000 grand prize.

Contestants had a poem prepared to recite to the audience and a panel of judges. The three judges all have literary backgrounds and scored the contestants in four categories: physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, and overall understanding of the piece.

The nine original contestants were whittled down through two rounds until there was one winner and two runner-ups. Along with a cash prize, the winner will advance to the regional competition and then possibly to state and national levels.

The winner was senior Asia Fields with runner-ups senior Katie Rivers and junior Tatianna Duncan, along with an honorable mention awarded to junior Adriana Hernandez. Field’s rendition of “I’m a Fool to Love You” by Cornelius Eady and “The Kiss” by Robert Graves enthralled the audience and earned her a crown.

Fields, who also won the “Poetry Out Loud” competition last year, will advance to the regional competition where she will hopefully make it even further than she did last year. If she places in the top 3 she will advance to state. “It was nerve-racking, but fun because you don’t get too many opportunities to do something big like this,” she said.

“Poetry Out Loud” has taught students about great poetry, public speaking, and self-confidence through recitation. And most importantly, it keeps alive the culture and creativity of literature that our country so often forgets.