Poetry Out Loud

Poetry Out Loud Tennessee State Champion, Kendall Grimes, Advances to the National Finals

We are delighted to announce that the Poetry Out Loud Tennessee State Champion, Kendall Grimes, was named one of only nine finalists to advance to the National Finals! Kendall competed in the national semifinals against 55 other students on May 2, 2021.

The Finals event will be held via Livestream at arts.gov/poetry-out-loud on Thursday, May 27^th at 6 pm CT/7 pm ET. Please join us in celebrating Kendall’s remarkable achievement!

Actor and writer Shaun Taylor-Corbett will host the evening of recitations by the top nine finalists, with live interviews with the students and the 2021 Poetry Out Loud National Champion announcement.

Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the TN Arts Commission. This national program encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students, helping them to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

New Study on the Impact of Poetry Out Loud

Line by Line: Transforming Student Lives and Learning with the Art of Poetry presents findings from an evaluation of Poetry Out Loud that involves data collection from ten sample schools assessing the program’s impact on poetry appreciation and engagement, social and emotional development, and academic performance. A fact sheet summarizing the results is also available.