Congratulations to Rebecca Wisniewski, who won the 2021 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Championships reading Ernest Hilbert’s poem “Domestic Situation” along with poems by Emily Dickinson and Ada Limón.

“[Rebecca] Wisniewski chose poems this year with very different energies. ‘Domestic Situation’ by Ernest Hilbert, which Wisniewski called ‘a tricky poem,’ challenged her with its seeming sarcasm about a somber subject: domestic abuse. ‘I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain,’ by Emily Dickinson, felt manic and mournful, and ‘has so much room inside it to perform.’ Her favorite, ‘How to Triumph Like a Girl,’ by Ada Limón, was in Wisniewski’s words, ‘fun, upbeat and has a positive message.’ All of the poems scored high marks with the judges.” Read more here in The Dover Post.

“Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies. Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 4 million students and 65,000 teachers from 16,000 schools in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.” Learn more about the program here.