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Gabrielle Jaques, Huntington Theatre Publicist
The Huntington Education Department celebrates the nation’s largest chapter of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest. The Massachusetts chapter is run locally by The Huntington in partnership with Mass Cultural Council and nationwide by The Poetry Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts.
Poetry Out Loud, now in its 20th anniversary year, held the Massachusetts state finals at the Old South Meeting House on March 16, 2025. Abigail Drumm, a Senior from Agawam High School is the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts State Champion and has won an all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at Nationals. The 2nd place poet is Ailin Sha who is a Senior from Boston Latin School. The 3rd place poet is Iris Zhao who is a Junior from Mystic Valley Regional Charter School.
Powered by The Huntington on the community level and nurtured at the state level through Mass Cultural Council (and further bolstered by Governor Maura Healey’s recent executive order creating a poet laureate position in Massachusetts for the first time in the state’s history), Massachusetts continues to shine in its commitment to beautiful language and powerful art.
With more than 17,000 Massachusetts students participating in Poetry Out Loud this year, The Huntington Education Department continues to bring theater and poetry – and the skills and inspiration those arts foster – into young people’s lives. Theater education and performance opportunities can build prosocial behavior in students, encourage empathy, improve public speaking skills, and develop both creative and critical thinking. By championing theater and poetry education, The Huntington team is proud to ensure that the next generation not only amplifies its voice but also shapes the cultural and artistic legacy of our time.
“This is such a thrilling season for Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts. We have been anticipating its 20th Anniversary for quite some time now,” said Huntington Director of Education Meg O’Brien. “Over the course of two decades, we’ve seen countless examples of how vital this program is to the students who experience it. The impact and importance of programs like Poetry Out Loud cannot be understated. Students from all walks of life find something to love about this program, whether it’s their poem, the friends they make along the way, or the chance to compete for the title of State Champion and represent their state at Nationals.”
“We are awestruck and very proud to be the largest Poetry Out Loud chapter in the country this year for both number of students and teachers participating. We are also third in the nation for the number of schools participating. I know our program will continue to grow and we are excited to see what Poetry Out Loud will bring to Massachusetts in the next five, 10, and 20 years.”
“Massachusetts is a celebrated hub of arts, culture, history, creativity, and innovation,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director, Mass Cultural Council. “For two decades, Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts has used language and creativity to inspire young people to tell stories, evoke emotion, and use what they learn as inspiration for new ideas. We are thrilled to honor this partnership and this program in its 20th year.”
One of the most extensive and admired programs in the country, The Huntington Education Department serves more than 30,000 students, teachers, and community organizations each year with student matinees, Huntington Academy, Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts, in-school residency programs, True Colors’ Next Narrative Monologue Competition, and more. Collaborators in this work include Boston Public Schools, Codman Academy Charter Public School, the National Endowment for the Arts, Mass Cultural Council, and many community organizations.
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage as they take poetry from the page to the stage. Poetry Out Loud has inspired hundreds of thousands of high school students to discover and appreciate both classic and contemporary poetry. Several students who have come up through The Huntington’s education program have gone on to rank in the top nine students in the national competition.
“Poetry Out Loud helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage,” said the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. “By encouraging students to study, memorize, and perform some of the most influential and timeless poems of the English language, you immerse them in powerful expression and provocative ideas.”
Regional semi-finals were held on March 8-10, 2025 in multiple locations across the Commonwealth. Massachusetts State Champions have been top nine National Finalists in 2008, 2011, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
The 2025 state finalists in Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts are:
The schools and organizations that participated in Poetry Out Loud Massachusetts 2025 are:
This year marks a special milestone for Poetry Out Loud as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of this transformative arts education program, which has enriched the lives of more than 4 million high school students nationwide since its inception in 2005. Poetry Out Loud fosters community and connection by uniting students, educators, and organizations through the shared experience of celebrating poetry. With access to the Poetry Out Loud anthology of more than 1,200 classic and contemporary poems, students lift poetry off the page and explore themes that deepen their understanding of literary history, contemporary life, and their own lived experience. Since its launch, Poetry Out Loud has reached more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the nation.
“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Poetry Out Loud, we honor the program’s lasting impact on students. Through the power of words and performance, young people are developing public speaking skills and self-confidence, the ability to connect with peers and leaders, and an appreciation for diverse perspectives and interpretations of the world around us. These are skills that will serve them well in any career or endeavor they may choose to pursue,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We extend our gratitude to our partners at the Poetry Foundation and the stewards of this program—the students, educators, parents, and our state coordinators—and look forward to working together through many more years of Poetry Out Loud.”
On April 15, 2025 at the State House (Room 428), Mass Cultural Council and The Huntington are hosting a celebration event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Poetry Out Loud. The event is sponsored by state Senator Paul Mark (D – Becket), co-chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development, and will feature community and government speakers, as well as program alumni. More event information will be shared soon.
