Niveah Glover from Florida Named 2024 Poetry Out Loud National Champion

Washington, DC, May 3, 2024—The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation are pleased to share that Niveah Glover, a 12th-grade student at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, is the 2024 Poetry Out Loud® National Champion. After reciting poems by Patricia Smith, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Ashanti Anderson, Glover was named champion during last night’s national finals, hosted by poet, editor, and National Council on the Arts member Huascar Medina in Washington, DC. As National Champion, Glover will receive a prize of $20,000.

In an interview about her Poetry Out Loud experience, Glover said, “It was so interesting to delve into other people's perspectives, turn it into something that I can relate to.” 

“‘Self Portrait as Kendrick Lamar Laughing to the Bank’ by Ashanti Anderson was definitely a poem that changed my life,” she said of her final poem. Watch her recitation from the National Finals on YouTube.

Glover also received runner-up in the written category of Poetry Ourselves, an original poetry competition offered to state and jurisdictional champions. Her poem, “These Thighs”, is available to read on arts.gov.

The second-place 2024 Poetry Out Loud winner is Tiana Renee Jones, a 10th-grade student at Whitefield Academy in Georgia, who will receive a $10,000 prize. The third-place winner is Nyla Dinkins, a 10th-grade student at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, DC, who will receive a $5,000 prize. The other six national finalists were Grisham Locke (Louisiana); Ariana Kimball (Minnesota); Jessie Leitzel (South Carolina); Grace Powell (South Dakota); Oluwabori Fadairo (Texas); and Willow Peyton (West Virginia). Each receives a $1,000 prize. The representing schools/organizations of all the top nine finalists will each receive $500 to purchase poetry materials. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded for Poetry Out Loud. The Poetry Out Loud National Semifinals and Finals are administered by Mid Atlantic Arts.

From left to right: Nyla Dinkins, third place winner from Washington, DC; Niveah Glover, National Champion from Florida; and Tiana Renee Jones, runner-up from Georgia. Photo by James Kegley

The state champions competing at the National Finals also had the opportunity to showcase their creativity through an optional competition, Poetry Ourselves. The students could submit an original work of poetry in one of two categories: either a written poem or a video of a spoken poem, both of which were judged by poet José Olivarez and announced at last night’s National Finals. The winner in the written category is Jessie Leitzel from South Carolina. The winner in the spoken category is Jennifer Shon from Rhode Island. Glover is runner-up in the written category. The runner-up in the spoken category is Lexie Wilson from Kentucky. Winning poems are available on the NEA’s website at the links above.

Photos from the 2024 National Finals are available for media use. To request an interview with Glover or any of the finalists, please email Carolyn Coons at [email protected].

This is the 19th year that the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation have partnered with the state and jurisdictional arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, a program that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry—both classic and contemporary—through memorization and recitation. 

About Poetry Out Loud

The program starts at the local level with a school or participating organization. Winners then may advance to a regional and/or state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools and organizations across the nation have participated in Poetry Out Loud. For more information about Poetry Out Loud and how to participate in the 2024–2025 program, visit poetryoutloud.org  

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. Visit Arts.gov to learn more. 

About the Poetry Foundation

The Poetry Foundation recognizes the power of words to transform lives. The Foundation works to amplify poetry and celebrate poets by fostering spaces for all to create, experience, and share poetry. Follow the Poetry Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and Poetry magazine on Twitter.

About Mid Atlantic Arts

Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. Mid Atlantic Arts combines state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org.

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