Stroudsburg student wins statewide poetry contest
2021 PA Poetry Out Loud Champ Taha Vahanvaty
Poetry Out Loud was created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. The contest is facilitated through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency under the Office of the Governor, working with regional partner organizations. As part of the competition, Vahanvaty and the other contestants memorized and prepared three poems selected from print and online poetry anthologies. His selection included “Brother, I’ve Seen Some” by Kabir, “If They Should Come for Us” by Fatimah Asghar, and “Snowmen” by Agha Shahid Ali.
In an article in the Stroudsburg High School (SHS) newspaper, Mountaineer, Vahanvaty praised his coach, SHS English teacher Sheri Griswold, who introduced him to the contest: “I just really want to give a big shout out to Ms. Griswold. Without her I would have never have completed this competition, and none of this would be possible.” He went on to say, “I chose to enter this contest because nobody thinks they’re good at poetry, including me. But it’s because of people like Ms. Griswold that I took that leap, stepped outside my comfort zone, and chose to compete in Poetry Out Loud. Anyone who wants to challenge their comfort bubbles: this is the thing for you.”
As the winner at the state level, Vahanvaty will receive $200 from the Poetry Foundation and SHS will receive $500 for the purchase of poetry materials.