12 Rhode Island High School Students Make 'Poetry Out Loud' Finals

EAST GREENWICH, RI — Twelve high school students from Rhode Island have qualified to compete in the "Poetry Out Loud" state finals, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced Wednesday.

The "Poetry Out Loud" Rhode Island finals is a competition where contestants will recite works they selected from an anthology of more than 900 classic and contemporary poems. Damont Combs, who performs as Mr. Orange, will be presenting as the guest poet.

The competition is free to watch and open to the public. It will be held at the Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich at 1 p.m. Sunday.

This year's finalists are:

• Nazarae Phillip, East Providence High School
• Virginia Keister, Chariho Regional High School
• Yiadalis Curec, William M. Davies Career and Technical High School
• Natasha Connolly, Classical High School
• Payton Mays, Cranston High School West
• Yasmairy Jimenez, St. Patrick Academy
• Emerson Deschene, North Smithfield High School
• Iris Patrillo, Providence Country Day School
• Ashley Esteban Lopez, Central Falls High School
• Jephte Pinthiere, Central High School
• Jennifer Shon, Portsmouth Abbey School.

This year's state champion receives a paid trip to compete in the national finals in Washington, D.C. The national competition takes places from May 8 to May 10.

The 2023 state champion receives $200, and the winner's school gets a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up receives $100 and $200 for their school library.