(Waterville, ME) Waterville will host a contest like no other in Maine as eleven high school students take to the stage in a competition against their peers, armed only with poems they have memorized and made their own. One will walk away with the title of Maine State Champion and the added honor of representing the state at the national finals on April 26th and 27th in Washington, DC.

The state finals take place on Friday, March 5th at the Waterville Opera House. Award-winning poets Lee Sharkey, Dawn Potter, Jeffrey Thomson and Leonore Hildebrandt will judge the competition. The program will begin with introductions from Maine’s First Lady, Karen Baldacci, and will feature live entertainment from award winning female hip-hop emcee Sontiago.

“The Poetry Out Loud contest has proven to be one of the most invigorating programs mounted around poetry that we have administrated,” said Maine Arts Commission Director Donna McNeil. “We now find ourselves with 11 finalists out of a staggering 4,132 students who began this contest in schools from all across Maine; the quality of delivery and level of understanding from these students is simply breathtaking.”

The 11 students competing at this year’s state final will have the unenviable task of performing classical and contemporary poetry from memory, in front of a live public audience, as they compete against schools across the state. The winner of the finals will receive $200, and the winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The second place finalist will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The state champion will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip (with a chaperone) to compete in the National Finals in April in Washington, DC, where a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends will be awarded.

This year’s finalists range from Sanford to Rangeley Lakes and are Paige Meserve, 12th grade, from Thornton Academy in Saco; Erica Lance, 10th grade, Leavitt Area High School in Turner; Aaron Bartlett, 12th grade, from Gorham High School; Caleb Shomaker, 12th grade, from Sanford High School; Emma Bailey, 12th grade, from Messalonskee High School in Oakland; John Booth, 9th grade, from Gardiner Area High School; Mary Montalvo, 12th grade, from Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham; Will Whitham, 12th grade, from Bangor High School; Jorgi Young, 11th grade, from Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield; Rosie Ditre, 9th grade, from Maranacook Community High School; and Jacob Simonds,12th grade, from Rangeley Lakes Regional School.

The state finals are free and open to everyone wishing to attend and begin with introductions at 5:00 pm on Friday, March 5; no reservations or tickets are required to enjoy this exceptional evening. Doors open at the Waterville Opera House at 4:45 pm. For more information on the state finals, contact Darrell Bulmer at the Maine Arts Commission, 207-287-6746 or darrell.bulmer@maine.gov.

For more information, please visit the Maine Arts Commission website.

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