MSA senior poetry reading champ
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Special to Wesson News
Elayjah Earles, a native of Greenville, MS, and a Senior at Brookhaven-based Mississippi School of the Arts, is the 2026 Mississippi Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion, with Atheena Bloodgood, a Senior at Pascagoula High School, placing second, and Nita Hardin, a Junior representing Union County Heritage Museum, placing third.
“Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is proud to continue this National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) program in the state to offer students valuable opportunities to learn, grow, and connect them across the state and nation,” said David Lewis, Executive Director of MAC. “This year’s contestants were well prepared and performed exceptionally. Elayjah stood out, and we are pleased to recognize her as this year’s Mississippi Poetry Out Loud state champion.”
Nine high school students from schools/organizations across the state participated in the Mississippi Poetry Out Loud state finals, held at Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) in Jackson.
“I was captivated by the way poetry could evoke emotion in people,” said Earles when asked about why she wanted to participate in Poetry Out Loud. “When I perform my poems, I always aim to try and do that.”
Earles received $200, and the Mississippi School of the Arts received a $500 stipend to purchase poetry materials. As the first runner-up, Athena Bloodgood received $100, with $200 for Pascagoula High School.
Earles will advance to the national finals, scheduled to take place in Washington, DC, April 27 – 29, to compete for the National Champion title and the $20,000 grand prize.
“I’ve never been to D.C.,”said Earles. “I have so many relatives from D.C. I’m really excited for the trip.”
Earles recited Let the Light Enter by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, in the first round, Aunt Sue’s Stories by Langston Hughes in the second round, and her winning recitation was Let No Charitable Hope by Elinor Wylie.
“My poem was Let the Light Enter by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper,” she said. “I picked it because I was interested in this idea of Goethe, which was the person Frances Ellen Watkins was referring to. I was really interested in the idea of his asking for light on his deathbed. That really spoke to me because I always feared death, so his asking for something that isn’t going to swoop up and save you. It is a hmmm, what does he mean, what does he want out of life? That’s how it spoke to me.”
Poetry Out Loud is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with state and jurisdictional arts agencies. The program is designed to help students improve public speaking skills, build confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. In recognition of America’s 250th Celebration, this year’s recitations were selected by the students from an anthology aimed at celebrating American history and culture.
The Mississippi Poetry Out Loud state finals were hosted by Lewis and emceed by Dr. Robert Luckett, Director of the Margaret Walker Center and the Council of Federated Organizations Center at Jackson State University. The guest musicians this year were singer-songwriter Richelle Putnam and multi-instrumentalist Joey Ethridge. MPB Television will broadcast the contest on Sunday, April 26, at 5 p.m. (CST).
To register for the 2027 Mississippi Poetry Out Loud contest, visit arts.ms.gov/pol. Registration is open to schools and community organizations working with students in grades nine through twelve.
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 opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow NEA on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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