High Schoolers from across the state will convene in East Lansing on Friday for the annual Michigan Poetry Out Loud Championship. At the event, students will recite famous works from memory. Current State spoke with Judith Dworkin of the Michigan Humanities Council, and Eric Hammerstrom, who teaches Language Arts and AP English at Marquette Senior High School. He helps students participate in the Poetry Out Loud program.
The state Competition for Michigan’s 2013-14 Poetry Out Loud program will take place tomorrow at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center auditorium. One of the students presenting tomorrow is Matthew Wiesner. Current State Production assistant Kelsey Block spoke with Matthew, who is a Freshman at East Lansing High School, about his upcoming performance.
Dworkin says the Humanities Council provides poetry curriculum materials to teachers across Michigan, and those teachers lead competitions at their schools to decide who will compete in East Lansing.