2023 Poetry Out Loud Finals

State Finals

From a field of 12 Delaware high school students, Maiss Hussein, a junior from Paul M. Hodgson Vocational Technical High School, earned the title of 2023 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion at the state finals held at the Smyrna Opera House on March 2, 2023. The first runner-up was Kaylee Rathbone from Sanford School and the second runner-up was Abigail Ehemann from Saint Mark’s High School.

As the 2023 Poetry Out Loud Delaware State Champion, Hussein will receive $200 and the opportunity to compete in the national semifinals from May 8-10, 2023, which will be streamed on arts.gov. Paul M. Hodgson Vocational Technical High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. Kaylee Rathbone, the first runner-up will receive $100, and Sanford School will receive $200 for its school library.

The Poetry Out Loud state competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.