A Coconino High School graduate has placed high in a national poetry recitation contest.
After several preliminary rounds between competing presenters at local and state levels, Oscar Manuel Landa Samano placed third in the national finals of the Poetry Out Loud contest last weekend.
One of the poems he recited is titled “Spanglish” by Tato Laviera.
In years past, the contest finals have been held in person. Since the pandemic, students have submitted video recordings of their poetry recitations in lieu of a live event in Washington, D.C.
Samano received $5,000, and his school $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. He’s been accepted to Columbia University, where he will begin studying architecture this fall.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered for the last 17 years to conduct the contest.
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