Read, Recite, Share Your Voice

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. 

Get involved today! Contact your state arts agency.

Featured Poet

Duy Doan

Duy Doan is the author of We Play a Game, winner of the 2017 Yale Series of Younger Poets. His work has appeared in Poetry, Slate, The Cortland Review, and elsewhere. A Kundiman fellow, he received an MFA in poetry from Boston University, where he serves as director of the Favorite Poem Project.

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Rickshaw Boy

The man I pulled tonight
carried a load of books.

When I felt him watching
me uphill, I grimaced.

He gave me lunar
cakes the size

of two camel humps.
When I answered him,

I smiled to his face.
He wore the moonlight

in his specs. Pant
seams clean as the…

By Duy Doan

• Activities
• Arts & Sciences
• Love

More By Duy Doan

Popular Collections

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Mythology & Folklore

Autumn

Social Justice and Equality

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For Students

What’s It Like To Compete?

Nervous about reciting? Unsure of where to start? Don’t be—everything you need to help you perform a successful recitation is right here.

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS

““I love the fact that students are not just reading a poem or reading words, but they are actually sharing a part of their identity, sharing what’s important to them. The poems that I chose share a different facet of what I believe in, who I am.”

Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri, 2023 National Champion

For Teachers and Organizers

The Power of Poetry

Every year thousands of teachers integrate Poetry Out Loud into their curricula. This section has everything you need to run a successful program in your classroom.

INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS