Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage as they take poetry from the page to the stage. Poetry Out Loud has inspired hundreds of thousands of high school students to discover and appreciate both classic and contemporary poetry.
Important Dates
Semi-Finalists Registration Deadline: Friday, February 7th, 2025
Semi-Finals: Saturday March 8th, Sunday March 9th and Monday March 10th, 2025
Finals: Sunday, March 16th 2025
Semi-Final Locations and Dates
Please note that semi-final location assignments will be announced in February
Saturday, March 8th, 2025
Newburyport – 1pm
Newburyport City Hall
60 Pleasant St, Newburyport, MA 01950
Springfield – 3:30pm
Community Music School of Springfield
127 State St, Springfield, MA 01103
Sunday, March 9th, 2025
Cape Cod – 1pm
Cultural Center of Cape Cod
307 Old Main St, South Yarmouth, MA 02664
Hopkinton – 1pm
Hopkinton Center for the Arts
98 Hayden Rowe St #2508, Hopkinton, MA 01748
Monday, March 10th, 2025
Boston – 7pm
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
527 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
Finals Location and Date
2024 Top 3 State Winners
Boston Latin School senior, Ailin Sha, was named our 2024 Poetry Out Loud State Champion. She will represent Massachusetts at the nationals in Washington D.C.
Placing second is Methuen High School senior Calysa Alba.
Placing third is Nantucket High School senior Anna Popnikolova.
2023 Top 3 State Winners
John D O’Bryant senior, Jaden Riley, was named our 2023 Poetry Out Loud State Champion. She will represent Massachusetts at the nationals in Washington D.C.
Placing second is Newburyport High School Senior, Tuala Sullivan.
Placing third is Melrose High School senior, Ellis Iurilli-Hough.
For more information on Poetry Out Loud, visit the official website at poetryoutloud.org. For information about the Massachusetts competition, please email the Education Department at poetryoutloud@huntingtontheatre.org.
“POETRY OUT LOUD helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. By encouraging your students to study, memorize, and perform some of the most influential and timeless poems of the English language, you immerse them in powerful expression and provocative ideas. Although many students may initially be nervous about reciting in front of their peers, the experience will prove invaluable — not only in school, but also in life. Much of the future success of students will depend on how well they present themselves in public. Public speaking is a skill people use every day on both the workplace and the community.”
— National Endowment for the Arts & The Poetry Foundation
Presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council and The Huntington.
