In South’s annual Poetry Out Loud competition, seniors Sonia Akbani, Seda Murphy, and other South students brought poetry alive.
In order to have a spark for poetry, you need inspiration. Whether it be a favorite poem, or a favorite poet. Murphy commented on her favorite poet.
“Audre Lorde is my favorite poet,” Murphy said. “She was a poet from the 70’s whose work was very transformative.”
Some poets utilize perception for their work, while others rely on a sense of humor.
“My favorite poet is Billy Collins,” said English teacher Sarah Boyce. “I got the opportunity to see him in person a few years ago and he was so funny and engaging when he talked about his work.”
While poetry can be many different things, its sole purpose is to attract and engage people.
“I like how poetry makes people pay attention. It slows us down and helps us zoom in on particular moments. It also helps me appreciate the beauty and creative potential of language,” said English teacher Steve Wissinger.
To compete in the school Poetry Out Loud competition, smaller class competitions were held to determine potential contestants.
“For my class, the contestants were the winners of the small classroom competition. For the freshmen, the teacher recommends students who stand out in class,” said Akbani.
For the competition, the students memorized two poems of their choice to recite.
“I chose ‘The Bear’ by Susan Mitchell, and ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ by Yvor Winters,” said Murphy. “I did use a random poem generator but I liked how it (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) used nature and the image of the bear to represent emotions and climate change.”
Different poems can appeal to different students, but how one can be emotionally affected by poetry is universal.
“I chose the poem ‘Miss You. Would like to grab that chilled tofu we love’ by Gabrielle Calvocoressi and ‘Momma Said’ by Calvin Forbes,” said Akbani. “I liked that the poem ‘Miss You’ was very emotionally heavy and it made it easy to display emotions. When you really feel drawn to a poem it makes it easy to express it well.”
While reciting the poem, the contestants found certain techniques to help them memorize the poem.
“I would make a google document and type the poem ten times in a row, as well as hand-writing the poem in class to make sure I solidified it in my head,” said Murphy.
When judging the lyrical and emotional reciting of poems in the school-wide competition, certain criteria was used to select a winner.
“The students who did best really internalized the poem,” said Wissinger. “They understood both the meaning and the feel of the poem — and helped the poem come to life for the audience.”
Akbani and Murphy took first and second place in the school-wide competition, respectively, with Akbani advancing to the regional competition.
“I was really happy with my results on the first one (poem),” said Akbani. “I’d say, with the next competition I have less time to prepare though.”
The regional competition was held on Feb.13 at the James J. Eagan Community Center in Florissant. Akbani took 3rd place in the competition, but unfortunately does not move on to the next level.
“Don’t be afraid to do things that may make you uncomfortable, Powering through is what got me my result,” said Akbani.
