A Statewide Poetry Recitation Competition
Presented by the Flynn in partnership with the Vermont Arts Council
The Flynn is excited to partner with the Vermont Arts Council to present Poetry Out Loud. Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the program provides pathways for students to explore, memorize, and recite great works of poetry. Contestants choose and learn about poems from an extensive online anthology of classical and contemporary poetry while mastering public speaking skills as well as building self confidence. The national Poetry Out Loud recitation competition engages thousands of Vermont high school students every year.
Participation in Poetry Out Loud begins at the classroom level around the country. Teachers engage students through instruction in poetry and performance and organize contests involving one or more classes. Winners advance to the state finals, and the state champion advances to the national finals in Washington, D.C.
The Flynn's education department will be administering the statewide Poetry Out Loud program, working with schools and students through the school year. The Vermont state finals will be held at the Flynn in Flynn Space on March 14, 2025 at 5 pm. Questions about Poetry Out Loud? contact mbureau@flynnvt.org.
The Poetry Out Loud - Vermont State Finals will be live-streamed here on March 14 at 5 pm.
Congratulations to Mapenzi Selemani, 2025 Vermont Poetry Out Loud Champion
In order from left to right: 2nd runner up Claire Peacock (Lyndon Institute), Winner Mapenzi Selemani (Winooski High School), 1st Runner Up Gretchen Wertlieb (South Burlington High School)
Previous Poetry Out Loud winners
2024
1st place: Greer Kennedy, St. Johnsbury Academy
2nd place: Samantha Urbina, BFA – Fairfax
3rd place: Mary Bosco, Thetford Academy
2023
1st place: Greer Kennedy, St. Johnsbury Academy
2nd place: Anne Hauze, Woodstock Union High School
3rd place: Grace Bruley, BFA – St. Albans
Interested in participating and receiving more information?
Additional Resources
Visiting Artists
John Hadden
John Hadden has worked happily in the theater for 50 years. He was a founding member of Shakespeare & Co.; ran Hubbard Hall Theater Company in Cambridge, NY; and directed, acted, wrote, and/or produced over 100 plays here and abroad, in professional and university settings. He has taught in numerous conservatories and schools, and is a Vermont teaching artist. He has received a variety of grants and awards, and holds a BFA (theater arts) from SUNY Purchase, and an MFA (writing) from Goddard College. He has a deep interest in seeing great work happen in small places.
Geof Hewitt
Geof Hewitt writes and performs poems wherever he can find an audience. He has served as a POL coach since the program started, and is happy to meet with individual classes or with larger groups. Geof uses guided, whole-group, cacophonic (!) choral recitations to ensure that everyone in the room has multiple opportunities to rehearse their chosen poems. The noise of multiple voices reciting different poems gives cover for every student to experiment with tone, pacing, facial expression, and gesture. Students are then invited to solo and receive brief suggestions from the group. Geof loves this work, and promises, "I'll make it fun!"
Quinn Rol
Born and raised in New Mexico, Quinn worked as an actor in NYC for 7 years, and is now a resident of Burlington's ONE. In 2021, when the BHS Drama Club was going to have to sell all their costumes in order to fund their next show, he created and produced an adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado which raised them over $2,000. As well as poetry with high schoolers through the Flynn, he performs with the VSO's K-8 program, Musicians In Schools. He is an acting teacher and coach specializing in the Voice/Body, will soon be the only Designated Teacher of the Linklater Voice technique in Vermont, and is a co-founding member of the Furnace Theatre Ensemble; a group dedicated to highlighting the artistry of performers and practicing the highest standards of compassion in their craft. MFA Columbia University.
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Gina Stevensen
Gina Stevensen is an award-winning playwright, performer, and teaching artist with an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University and a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch. Before moving to Burlington, they spent 13 years in New York City, where they taught theater and creative writing at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, The Brooklyn College Community Partnership, Leave Out Violence, The Writer’s Rock, Writopia Lab, and more. They are a 2023 Vermont Arts Council/NEA Creation Grant recipient. Their plays have been developed in NYC, London, and across the country. Since moving to Vermont, they have worked as a performer and dramaturg with Vermont Stage, Middlebury Acting Company, and Vermont Shakespeare Festival, and are the co-creator of the Front Porch Follies.
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