Freshman Zeke Moses wins state Poetry Out Loud contest

What started as a random chance to try something new—reciting poetry—became a talent that would lead freshman Zeke Moses to win the State Poetry Out Loud competition Feb. 7.

Moses became the youngest Ohio champion ever, and he will compete in nationals, which will take place in May at George Washington University.

Librarian and school Poetry Out Loud coordinator Mike Nolan explained Poetry Out Loud is a national competition where high school-aged contestants from across the country recite poems of their choice, incorporating vocal inflection, facial expressions and physical movement into their performance.

Contestants are judged on how they bring the poem to life for the audience, including the use of these creative expressions, he added.

Moses said he started his Poetry Out Loud journey as an extension of his love of performing.

“The opportunity to perform and express poetry was appealing to me,” he explained. “I have always loved performing, and the new medium made me excited.”

Moses said he spent countless hours learning, practic- ing and preparing his poems, both at school with teachers and alone at home, in order to recite them to the best of his abilities.

Moses won the school competition Nov. 12 that was judged by Bexley English teachers, and then he qualified for states with his performance at the regional competition Dec. 12.

From the beginning of the process at the school level to the state competition, Moses explained he received coaching from Nolan and English teachers at the high school.

Nolan said Moses is a pleasure to work with because he takes it very seriously and requires little coaching.

“Zeke is one of the most talented students we’ve ever worked with,” Nolan explained. “His interpretations and performances are outstanding, so the coaches have only helped on the margins.”

Going into it, Moses did not expect to get this far in the competition, especially because he is a freshman and was trying something new, he said.

“I don’t think I fully understood what Poetry Out Loud was all about, so it was a bit challenging having to learn the rules and criteria in a small amount of time,” Moses explained.

Moses also struggled with confidence as an underclassman, as it was easy to get into his own head, he said.

“After every level, my mindset was ‘I’m doing this for fun, whatever happens, happens,’” he explained.

Moses won the state competition with his three poems, “Or” by Thomas Sayers Ellis, “America, I Sing You Back” by Allison Adele Hedge Coke and “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Raleigh, he said.

When the time comes to start preparing for Nationals, Moses said preparation will be similar but more time consuming than how he prepared for past competitions.

“I will be reciting the same poems I recited at states, so I don’t need to memorize different poems, which is such a relief,” he explained. “I will most likely go back and look at the videos from my past competitions to familiarize myself with my poems and performance.”

Additionally, Moses said he hopes to continue Poetry Out Loud throughout his high school career.

“I think I’m going to try next year, but there is no guarantee the outcomes will be similar to this year,” he added. “It’s fun, thrilling and I enjoy feeling like I’m good at something and getting recognition.”