Ten Alaska teens took the stage at the Poetry Out Loud state finals in Juneau on Tuesday night. Colony High School freshman Isabella Weiss took the title with her performance of “Hope is the Thing with Feathers – (314)” by Emily Dickinson.
Here is her performance of “Hope is the Thing with Feathers – (314):”
Weiss will advance to the national competition held in Washington D.C. in April. Junior Elisa Larson of Petersburg High School was runner up.
Each student prepares three pre-selected poems. They’re judged by physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, accuracy and overall performance.
The annual competition is produced in collaboration with the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council. The program encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition. 360 North co-produces the television coverage.
Watch the entire competition here:
