Nervous about reciting? Unsure of where to start? Don’t be—everything you need to help you with your recitation is on this page, including advice and reflections from past Poetry Out Loud National Finalists.
Find more videos on the National Endowment for the Arts’ YouTube Channel.
“I think there’s a point while memorizing a poem when you stop memorizing it and start living it. Sometimes it happens sooner or later, but eventually I’ll feel myself drifting into the work instead of the words. I’m memorizing the emotions instead of the stanzas. Poetry recitation, in my eyes, is a way to take a story and make it your own. It’s an act of translation.”
Jessie Leitzel, 2024 South Carolina State Champion
