Parents, friends and arts supporters gathered Saturday, March 16, to hear 16 high school students recites powerful poetry at the Poetry Out Loud State Finals.

High school students from around the state participated in this year's Poetry Out Loud recitation competition. That's more than double the number of students who came out a year ago.

This year, students recited a variety of poetry -- from Edgar Allen Poe to Lord Byron. The performances were heartfelt and amazing. Students said the event was fun and something they would do again next year, if possible.

A panel of judges chose this year's winners. The top two students were: First Place, Daevion Jones, 12th grade, Malvern High School; and Runner-Up Lily Phillips, 11th grade, HEART Homeschool Group in Junction City.

Honorable Mentions went to: McKinnli Jackson, 12th grade, Pine Bluff High School; Jonah Windel, 10th grade, Deer High School; and Lia Lawson, 9th grade, Wonderview High School.

The event is co-sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Poetry Out Loud was held at the Argenta Community Theater in North Little Rock. 

Next, Daevion Jones will represent Arkansas at the national competition April 30 and May 1 in Washington, D.C. He has a chance at winning $20,000.

Although this year's state-level competition is over, we hope to grow and get even more students to participate in the 2020 competition. School administrators and teachers interested in Poetry Out Loud should contact Kim Davis at [email protected] for more information.