Indianapolis, Indiana) The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, announced today that Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri (pictured right), a junior at Columbus North High School, is the 2023 Indiana Poetry Out Loud State Champion. Munjuluri will be representing Indiana in the 2023 Poetry Out Loud National Finals.Â
This is Sreepada’s second year participating in Poetry Out Loud. Sreepada loves exploring literature, not just in English but also in her native language Telugu, and Sanskrit. In her free time, she plays the violin and practices the Bharatanatyam dance. In the future, she hopes to be a global health advocate and believes that communication through various mediums (such as poetry) is the key to solving the world’s problems, and is the most beautiful aspect of the human experience.
Munjuluri participated in Poetry Out Loud as part of the Indiana Humanities statewide outreach program.
Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life. This year, over 1,000 high school students across Indiana participated in Poetry Out Loud. Fourteen state finalists competed on March 4Â for the title of State Champion.Â
“The Poetry Out Loud program is a unique opportunity for students to show their talents and creativity through poetry recitation. The students participating in the competition have incredible skills, passion, and determination, and the program is a wonderful example of the powerful role that creativity plays in the classroom,” said Stephanie Haines, IAC Arts Education and Accessibility Manager.
