This year will mark my first experience with Poetry Out Loud. My name is Morgan Gaetano, and I am a high school sophomore at Newburgh Free Academy in New York who has been writing for about five years. Writing was always something I wanted to do; I love watching people and making up stories or poems about them. I am not really sure from where this skill came, but I know it was refined throughout the years with my English teachers’ help.
Despite my love for the written word, when I was first told about Poetry Out Loud, I didn’t quite grasp what I was getting into. After reading about it online, I was both excited and nervous. When I was asked to write about my early experiences with the program, I didn’t realize that I would actually have to take part in the competition. I just thought I was going to write a paragraph or two about the program and be done. When I found out that I would eventually have to recite my selected poems in front of people, I instantly backed away from the project for a whole week…but because I had already said yes, I told a bunch of friends and teachers, knowing they would push me back into it and help me prepare.
I know that once I find the poems that speak to me, I will feel more comfortable about Poetry Out Loud and will feel confident about my performance in the competition.
by Morgan Gaetano
Click here to learn more about Poetry Out Loud
Teachers & Writers Magazine is published by Teachers & Writers Collaborative as a resource for teaching the art of writing to people of all ages. The online magazine presents a wide range of ideas and approaches, as well as lively explorations of T&W’s mission to celebrate the imagination and create greater equity in and through the literary arts.
