Welcome to Poetry Out Loud!
The words of great poets literally come to life in Poetry Out Loud. The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) is excited to partner with The Wayne Theatre serving as the host and administrator of the Poetry Out Loud program. A national program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation, brings poetry to high schoolers through memorization, performance, and public speaking. Since 2005, nearly 4.7 million students have participated in the program and committed at least one poem to memory. In Virginia, approximately 105,000 students have participated since the program’s inception 20 years ago.
REGISTRATION
CALENDAR
| Registration Deadline independent, initial, and JR competitions | December 15, 2026 |
| Registration Deadline for Semi Finals | January 12, 2027 |
| Virtual Independent and JR competitions | January 23, 2027 |
| Virtual Semi Final | February 6 and February 13, 2027 |
| State Finals hosted at Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro, Virginia | February 25, 2027 |
|
National POL Competition in Washington, D.C.
|
April 26 through April 28, 2027 |
RESOURCES
Poetry Out Loud “How To” Video Guides
The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, created a two-part Poetry Out Loud “How To” Guide for poetry memorization. This is a resource for students, teachers, and organizations who are interested in participating in the Poetry Out Loud program:
- The “How To” Guide Part 1 provides scaffolding techniques to demystify the memorization process with accessible hands-on activities to empower the voices of youth.
- The “How To” Guide Part 2 provides insight in the memorization, selection, and performance of two poems from the Poetry Out Loud anthology.
Tutorial Series: Recording Recitations for Virtual Competitions
- Part 1—Recording the Image (5:11)
- Part 2—Recording Audio (2:42)
- Part 3—Uploading Recitations to Dropbox (2:25)
Visit the VCA’s YouTube Channel to access videos.
Teachers and Students Resources
Prior Poetry Out Loud recordings can be accessed on the Virginia Commission for the Arts YouTube Channel.
AWARDS
Photo Credit: Julia Weaver
On Thursday, March 7, the Wayne Theatre, Waynesboro hosted Virginia’s 21st Poetry Out Loud state competition. Amella Rylak, a senior at Grace Christian School won the honor and represented Virginia at the national competition taking place in Washington, D.C., April 27-29, 2026.
Congratulations to the following students who advanced to the state competition.
Amella Rylak (Grace Christian School)
Kieran Snow (Flint Hill High School)
Gabby Licayan (Thomas Jefferson High School)
Alley Gongloff (Bassett High School)
Aayra Rajashekara (Catholic High School)
Jazya Matthews (Tallwood High School)
Reese Fleming (Collegiate School)
CONTACT
For any questions about Poetry Out Loud contact:
Corey Holmes
Poetry Out Loud Coordinator
Director of Education, Wayne Theatre
cholmes@waynetheatre.org