Arts & Culture Commission of Contra Costa County

Scott Belding
Managing Director
(925) 519-3586

Robin Moore
Poetry Out Loud Coordinator
(925) 787-6205

Denica Garcia wins local competition that emphasizes language skill and public speaking

Denica Garcia, a senior from Salesian High in Richmond, took first place in the Contra Costa County “Poetry Out Loud” competition on February 11. In a close race, the Runner-up position went to senior Savannah Ridgley from Mt. Diablo High in Concord, and Third Place to junior Christine Osiuwhu from Deer Valley High in Antioch. The three were among thousands of students across the state to participate in the national recitation contest, a program started by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and run by the California Arts Council and locally by the Arts & Culture Commission of Contra Costa County (AC5) to engage high-school students in the presentation of poetry through memorization and performance.  Garcia advances to the California state finals in Sacramento on March 25 & 26. At stake are hundreds of dollars on the state competition level and thousands at the national finals of Poetry Out Loud.

The students performed their recitations in front of a large audience at the lovely Willows Theatre in Concord. This is Contra Costa’s fifth year of Poetry Out Loud competition, and many attendees said these were the strongest group of competitors they’ve seen.  The recitations were stirring, and scores were close.  Among the many fine recitations, Ms. Garcia’s “Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser, Ms. Ridgley’s “The Painter” by John Ashbery and Ms. Osiuwhu’s “Father Son and Holy Ghost” by Audre Lorde helped secure the final outcome.

The very competitive pool of finalists included students from eleven county high schools: College Park High in Pleasant Hill, Deer Valley High in Antioch, Dougherty Valley High in San Ramon, Independence High in Brentwood, Las Lomas High in Walnut Creek, Monte Vista High in Danville, Mt. Diablo High in Concord, Pittsburg High in Pittsburg, and Making Waves Academy, Richmond High and Salesian High, all in Richmond.  Countywide, over 2000 students memorized a poem for the program this year.

“To learn a great poem by heart is to make a friend for life,” said John Barr, president of the Poetry Foundation. “The national recitation program brings fresh energy to an ancient art form by returning it to the classrooms of America.”

The Poetry Out Loud program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry: recitation and performance. Poetry Out Loud competitions start in the classroom, then at the school, region, state, and national finals, similar to the structure of the spelling bee. The national initiative is part of an attempt to bring literary arts to students, a critical need in U.S. schools, according to a 2004 NEA report Reading at Risk that found a dramatic decline in literary reading, especially among younger readers.

More information can be found at www.cac.ca.gov and www.poetryoutloud.org, and reporters interested in more information about the statewide program may contact California Arts Council communications director Mary Beth Barber at mbarber@cac.ca.gov or 916-322-6588.

AC5 is sponsored in part by the following: