With a powerful command of the stage, Duke Ellington School of the Arts senior Amanda Fernandez riveted audiences with “Ma Rainey,” a vibrant portrait of rural African American life by poet Sterling A. Brown. This was one of three recitations that earned Fernandez the title of 2007 Poetry Out Loud National Champion and a $20,000 scholarship prize.
The event was the culmination of a pyramid-structure competition that began in early January among schools in every state and the District of Columbia.
In North Carolina, the state-level competition was organized by the North Carolina Arts Council with students from 19 school districts. Aimee Isbell, an eighteen-year-old from Mooresville City Schools in Iredell County, represented North Carolina in the national competition.“I really enjoyed meeting different people from all over the country,” said Isbell. “It was also rewarding for me to simply be on stage, looking out into the crowd and doing what I love.”
The National Finals were held at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C. Twelve finalists and 51 state champions from around the country participated in the second national poetry recitation contest, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.
The second place winner was Branden Emanual Wellington of Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, who received a $10,000 scholarship prize. The Virginia State Champion, Alanna Rivera, of Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, received the third place prize and a $5,000 scholarship.
For more information on Poetry Out Loud in North Carolina, visit www.ncarts.org/poetryoutloud.
Filed under: Literature, Performing Arts
