Get your snapping fingers together for this year’s 2023 Poetry Out Loud competition. Overseen by Carolyn Gilman on Wednesday, January 19 at Olympia High School Poetry Out Loud took place in the Library. It was a literary event! “You don’t have to be so open with your thoughts but you can still share something that has meaning to you.” Matthew Valentine a senior at OHS and the winner of this year’s Poetry Out Loud said when asked why he enjoyed the event. After the first round of performers spoke their poems the group was soon narrowed down to the top 10. These ten then performed their second piece of poetry for Alexis Sarah from the Washington Arts Commission, Kathy Dorgan, retired OHS teacher and Hall of Fame member, and Kameko Lashlee-Gaul, a former student and Lit Mag leader.

Matthew Valentine will go and compete at regionals representing Olympia High School on February 1st.