Eden Getahun, the 2020 Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud winner, has won first place in this year’s state poetry recitation competition. In response to the current COVID-19 public health emergency, the California Poetry Out Loud contest, March 15–16, was modified to be held virtually. Students submitted their recitations via online videos.
Getahun, a junior from C.K. McClatchy High School (Sacramento City USD), competed against students from 52 other counties to take first place in the annual statewide poetry recitation contest. Her recitation selections included “The New Colussus” by Emma Lazarus, “Hip-Hop Ghazal” by Patricia Smith, and “It Is Not” by Valerie Martinez.
- YouTube Video: Eden Getahun Performs “The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to Be Bilingual”—Round 1 of the County competition (courtesy SECC)
- YouTube Video: Eden Getahun Performs “ It Is Not”—Round 2 of the County competition (courtesy SECC)
Getahun also entered an original poem of her own in the 2020 Poetry Ourselves contest. She won an honorable mention for her poem “Forget.”
About Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The program provides students with the opportunity to perform poetry in English classes. Modeled after the National Spelling Bee, students start by competing in their local schools. Winners then progress to regional and state competitions, with state winners competing at the national level. Poetry Out Loud was launched nationwide in 2006.