by Conner Murray

          Three years ago Clovis West students were introduced to the Poetry Slam, but this year will be the first for Poetry Out Loud which is being facilitated by English teacher Kyle Kirkley. The school competition will be held February 2 in the Lecture Hall.

          Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide poetry recitation contest that begins at the school level and proceeds on to county and state competitions, and finally to the National finals. The competition engages students in the skills of memorizing, public speaking and poetry discussion.

          “The key thing for me – getting students up and speaking. Second is getting students into academics outside the classroom,” Kirkley said. He is enjoying his first time working with the Poetry Out Loud competition.

          For the competition students must choose two poems which must be selected from the Poetry Out Loud website to be recited at the school competition. Competitors are judged not on the two poems, but on how well they communicate and show their understanding of the poems while reciting them to judges.

          With preparation beginning more than a month before the upcoming school competition, competitors have been practicing day in and day out on their chosen poems. “I usually say [the poems] over and over in front of the mirror,” Deseree Whitt said. Though Whitt has admitted to mainly practicing when she’s bored, she also has seen how drama class has helped her improve by teaching her to watch herself while reciting.

          Each competitor can select from an array of possible poem options, but each may choose their poems for different reasons.

          “I chose to do ‘Mother to Son’ by Langston Hughes and ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by Robert Burns,” said Whitt. “I chose ‘Mother to Son”

          As for the competition continuing next year, Kirkley said he hopes to offer it to classes where the winner of each class will move on to the school competition. “I’d support him,” said creative composition teacher Karen Kyer who looks to do the same as Kirkley but with the Poetry Slam.