Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students that begins in the classroom and culminates in the National Finals in Washington, DC. Drawing upon elements of spoken word, theater, and slam poetry, Poetry Out Loud cultivates an appreciation of poetry that goes beyond the page. On March 11, 2023, the Arizona Poetry Out Loud State Finals were held at the UArizona Poetry Center. We're delighted to announce the 2023 Arizona National Finalist, Biruni Hariadi, as well as the second through fourth place winners: Selena Chavez, Sam Mayer, and Diego Flores. Congratulations to the four of them as well as to all of the state finalists who competed on March 11!

The winners recited the following poems:

Biruni Hariadi, Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy

• “Mr. Darcy” by Victoria Chang
• “The Wish, By a Young Lady” by Laetitia Pilkington
• “Mimesis” by Fady Joudah

Selena Chavez, Shadow Ridge High School

• "La Figlia che Piange" by T.S. Eliot
• "Suppose" by Phoebe Cary
•  "the world is about to end and my grandparents are in love" by Kara Jackson

Sam Mayer, The Gregory School

• “Summer” by Chen Chen
• “Edgar Allan Poe Is Reached at the Baltimore Harbor by the Shadows That Pursue Him” by Fernando Valverde
•  “Dirge in Woods” by George Meredith

Diego Flores, Alhambra High School

• "Two Guitars" by Victor Hernández Cruz
• "Life in a Love" by Robert Browning
• "To Be Held" by Linda Hogan

Hariadi will compete in the National Finals, which will be held on May 8-10th in Washington, DC.