Poetry Out Loud

2008 Kansas Winner Madeline Roger

2008 Kansas Runner-Up Norin Ansari

Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The Kansas competition is sponsored by the Kansas Arts Commission.

During 2007-2008, the Kansas Arts Commission partnered with the Kansas Association of Teachers of English to develop state regional competitions. On March 7, 2008, five students competed in three rounds for the state final competition at the Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site.

Madeline Roger, a junior at Baldwin City High School, was selected by a distinguished panel of judges as the winner. As the state champion, Roger receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to compete for a $20,000 scholarship in the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 29, in Washington, D.C. In addition, her school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books.

Norin Ansari, an international baccalaureate student at Wichita East High School, placed second. As the runner-up, Ansari receives $100 and a cash donation to her school library.