Poetry Ourselves is offered as part of the Poetry Out National Recitation Contest for original student work for the 2023 National Finals. Each 2023 state champion will have the opportunity to submit one original work of either written or spoken poetry. A winner and runner-up will be selected for each category.
The Arts Council thanks all those who submitted an original poem for this year’s contest and the Poetry Out Loud regional coordinators who served as judges.
This year’s winners:
First place – “Ari” by Thad Bergschneider (Franklin High School, Franklin)
Second place – “Grievance” by Vanali Desai (Mather High School, Chicago)