Montana’s Poetry Out Loud is congratulating fourteen top-finishers and four alternates in the four regional semi-finals of the program.
Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide program boosting students’ public speaking, onstage confidence, and understanding of American poetry.
Montana poet Kaisa Edy is coordinating the state’s contribution to this year’s program. The 18 regional Poetry Out Loud winners are already in Helena, workshopping and preparing for a morning competition for seven coveted positions.
“Those seven students will compete in the afternoon and then out of those seven students, three will be announced at the end of the day, one will be the student advancing on to Nationals.”
Edy says each of the students finds a unique path through the poetry. Watching those journeys has rewarded her personal path alongside the students.
“Their stage presence, it might be their pacing, it might be the emotion behind the poem that you can tell is coming through, and so, for me, it’s been a great privilege witnessing the entirety of the program instead of just witnessing the final product.”
The state’s Poetry Out Loud Finals are Saturday March 7 in Helena. National finals take place April 27–29, 2026, in Washington, DC.
This year’s regional winners include Aaron Miller (Missoula), Ellette Whitcomb (Missoula), Samantha Symington (Big Sky), Nora Slovarp (Missoula), Vannie Urick (Belt), Zaine Firestone (Simms), Addison Lassu (Helena), William Shropshire (Helena), Amy Thoft (Polson), Daisy Anderson (Polson), Ryvr Wood (Polson), Eva Murray (Anaconda), Megan Donnelly (Butte), and Audrey Woessner (Bozeman). The four alternates are Mia Chatriand (Butte), Jasper Chisholm (Whitefish), Anna Johnson (Missoula) and Livie King (Belt).
For more information, visit art.mt.gov and navigate to the Poetry Out Loud page.
