Anthony Olivas Takes Second in Poetry Out Loud

By Eddie King

Managing Editor

Performing poetry in front of an audience for the first time can be nerve-wracking, but despite having all eyes on him, senior Anthony Olivas won silver.

Olivas’s interest in poetry stems from his passion for music, he said. The parallels between writing music and poetry were key in motivating him to participate in the contest, despite the fact it would be intimidating, Olivas said.

Link: Read more about the competition on the official Poetry Out Loud website.

“The most enjoyable part of poetry is how effectively it can portray raw emotion, which is something that often gets lost in the melody of  songs,” Olivas said

Olivas chose to recite the poems “A Boat Beneath the Sunny Sky,” by Lewis Carroll, and “Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud,” by John Donne.

Photos: See some of the contestants performing during the competition.

“I chose ‘Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud’ because I really liked John Donne’s take on death,” Olivas said. “It was a new perspective that I had not thought of before. Death is one of my greatest fears, but the poem’s message resonated with me and showed that death is not such a big deal.”

In the weeks prior to the competition, Olivas chose two poems from the online antholgy of over 900 poem learned the meaning behind the poems he chose and  then practiced to convey each author’s message.

“I feel like one of the most important parts of reading, analyzing and performing poetry is knowing what the author was trying to convey in their writing,” Olivas said. “So I decided to conduct research on the authors and get some background on the poems I recited.”

Link: Take a look at the rules and qualifications for the California competition.

Olivas says he was anxious on the day of the competition, but excited to perform the poems. During his recitation he tried to convey the emotions that he believed the authors were attempting to get across, he said.

“I normally don’t like having the spotlight on me,” Olivas said. “I usually get anxious in front of crowds, but reciting poetry has helped me overcome this, and Poetry Out Loud was a really fun experience overall.”