Traverse City Record-Eagle

Northern Living

March 25, 2012

Poetry winner 'totally owned’ the poems

by lisa perkins lperkins@record-eagle.com

ALBA — Randi Laundré never had much interest in poetry until an English teacher introduced her to the art form.

Now, the sophomore at Alba Public Schools will compete for the Poetry Out Loud national title after winning the statewide recitation competition March 10.

"As a teenager, you don't always know what you are interested in; learning poetry helps you find out what you believe in, what to stand for, who you are as a person," said Laundré, who credits Judy Zimpfer for sparking her interest in the medium.

"Mrs. Zimpfer brought Poetry Out Loud into my class last year, taught us how to read a poem and understand its meaning," Laundré said.

Laundré chose three poems to perform from a list of nearly 500. She wowed the judges with her recitation of "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Eros Turannos" by Edwin Arlington Robinson and "She Walks in Beauty" by Lord Byron.

"Being able to read them and get an idea of what they mean makes it easier to know what to emphasize, what the emotions are," she said.

Laundré was one of 36 high-school students from across the state who competed in the event sponsored by the Michigan Humanities Council and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

"Mrs. Zimpfer really helped in preparing me, making sure my performance was as good as it could be," Laundré said.

Zimpfer, who retired last year after 37 years of teaching English in Alba, says she promised Laundré to continue coaching the school's Poetry Out Loud program.

"It is such a powerful learning experience for these young students," she said.

She couldn't be more proud of Laundré's dedication to achieve and her winning performance.

"I told her use her voice and say it from the heart. She totally owned those poems."

As first-place winner, Laundré received $200, a $500 stipend toward the purchase of poetry books for her school library and the Poetry Out Loud Michigan champion trophy.

Next, she will travel to Washington, D.C., where she will compete in the national Poetry Out Loud challenge, to be held May 13-15. The national champion will win a $20,000 college scholarship.

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