DOVER — Poetry Out Loud, the free recitation contest, will start with a semifinal competition at Modern Maturity Center in Dover today ast 7 p.m. This year’s semi-finals judges are:
• Jamie Brunson, executive director, First Person Arts, Philadelphia
• Sherry Gage Chappelle, 2016 Individual Artist Fellow: Poetry
• Russell Endo, 2011 Individual Artist Fellow: Poetry
• Maggie Rowe, 2016 Individual Artist Fellow: Poetry
• James Weiler, English/Language Arts Instructor, Woodbridge High School
Twelve finalists will move on to compete at the state finals to be held at Smyrna Opera House on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. (snow date: Tuesday, March 5). The finalists will compete for the opportunity to represent Delaware and advance to the National Finals in Washington, DC from April 29 to May 1, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed.
2019 Delaware State Semi-Finalists are:
Landon Hayes, Cape Henlopen High School
Jo Griffin, Concord High School
Emma Elliott, Dover High School
Chelsea Anokye-Agyei, Hodgson Vo-Tech High School
Amy Garcia Perez, Indian River High School
Tyler Keeler, Laurel High School
Sarah Stevenson, Milford High School
Nadia Sheikh, MOT Charter High School
Daniel Johnson, Mount Sophia Academy
Megan Chen, Newark Charter High School
Ashton Driver, Red Lion Christian Academy
Anne Rosenthal, Sanford School
Alex Dornenburg, Seaford High School
Charmaine Pasicolan, St. Mark’s High School
Liliana Yenovkian, Sussex Academy of the Arts & Sciences
Brandon Greenlee, Sussex Central High School
Samuel McGarvey, Tall Oaks Classical School
Catherine Enslen, Ursuline Academy
Mariela Rivero, Wilmington Christian School
James Tallman, Wilmington Friends School
The competition encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition.
Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest is sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
