The Arkansas Arts Council and Division of Arkansas Heritage are pleased to announce Katelyn Doyne, a senior at Wilbur D. Mills University Studies High School, will represent the state at the national-level Poetry Out Loud competition this May.

Doyne, 17, won the top spot for the Arkansas Poetry Out Loud competition and has the opportunity to win $20,000 at the national competition, which will be held virtually this year. Benjamin Romero, 17, earned second place and is the state’s alternative. Romero is a junior at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts.

The Arkansas Poetry Out Loud competition is open to public and charter schools, private schools and home-schooled students. Students must be in grades ninth through 12th to participate. The program is flexible and can be incorporated into other lesson plans, such as creative writing. The program helps connect Arkansas high school students with poetry and improves oration skills while building self-confidence. Students also learn about poetry. A panel of independent judges calculated and scored the state-level event on March 6. Students, who had won their school-level competitions, competed from all over the state.

Doyne said her favorite authors are Maya Angelou, W.E.B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes. Her hobbies include track and field and writing. The Little Rock native plans to go to college and become a physical therapist. Her life’s ambition is to be proud of herself and feel successful. Writing is among Doyne’s passions, and she was excited to participate in the state Poetry Out Loud championship, she said.

During the competition, Doyne performed: “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley; “The Song of The Smoke” by W.E.B. Du Bois; and “I Look at The World” by Langston Hughes. Doyne works hard and takes her time to make the best decisions, she said.

“I take life slowly, I overthink everything,” Doyne said. “Some would say I’m a perfectionist, however, I would strongly disagree. Regretting a permanent decision is a big fear of mine, so I often carefully make decisions.”

The national semifinals will be May 2, and the finals will be May 27. Both will include video submissions by competitors.

Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation and Arkansas Arts Council. To view a schedule for the national competition, visit www.poetryoutloud.org/about-poetry-out-loud/key-dates/. For more information about Poetry Out Loud, email Drekkia Morning.