Tryouts for Poetry Out Loud will be on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in the library at 3:45 p.m. Students are required to perform three poems from the Poetry Out Loud website and will be judged based on memorization, oralization and the way they make the poems unique to themselves. In addition, students participating are presented with the possibility of earning a scholarship.

“Poetry Out Loud [helps students] develop a love of poetry that was never there before,” debate teacher Sally Squibb said. “It’s a way to watch a writer create the fewest amount of words [and] create the greatest powerful impact.”

The event was created as a way to encourage students to give poetry a chance. By doing so, they will be able to meet with people who have similar interests as them and find newfound respects for poetry. 

“I have a passion for poetry now,” junior Bryant Hernandez said. “[I’m] more appreciative of poetry because now I look at a poem, read it and analyze it thoroughly. I see what others went through and I make it my own.”

Not only does Poetry Out Loud help students find a love for poetry, but it also helps students step out of their comfort zones.

“I’ve had issues with performing in front of audiences all [of] my life,” senior Yobany Pizano said. “I’m an actor and I’m also [going] into acting in theater studies in [the] future. To be able to do that, I’m going to have to overcome my fear of performance and I’m using this as a way to do that and to express my love for poetry.”

One winner will be chosen from each of the three campuses, and they will compete at the state level in Austin in February and have a chance to travel to nationals in Washington D.C. at George Washington University. The overall message Poetry Out Loud tries to send is that poetry isn’t what people perceive it to be.

“[Poetry Out Loud is] a natural outgrowth of oral interpretation ” Squibb said. “It’s all about taking a piece of literature and bringing it to life.”