Pedigo excels in Poetry

Indianapolis – Feb. 19, 2018 - The Indiana State Library and the Indiana Arts Commission announced today that Madalyn Pedigo earned the honor of being named the 2019 Poetry Out Loud Indiana state champion. Pedigo will compete against representatives from all 50 states, plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, for the national Poetry Out Loud title on April 30 and May 1, 2019 in Washington, D.C. The event will be held at the Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University. The semifinals and finals will be webcast live. The Midwest and South Central round, which includes Indiana, will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, beginning at 1 p.m.

Pedigo, a sophomore at West Washington Jr./Sr. High School in Campbellsburg, qualified for the national finals by winning the Indiana state Poetry Out Loud championship held on Feb. 16, 2019 at the Indiana State Library. She edged out 14 other competitors to win the state title. In addition to the Washington, D.C. trip, Pedigo earned a $200 cash prize and $500 for her school to be used to purchase poetry books. 

Pedigo recited three poems to qualify for the trip to Washington D.C.: “Momma Said” by Calvin Forbes, "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold and "What Women Are Made Of" by Bianca Lynne Spriggs.

Si Hager of Herron High School in Indianapolis won the Poetry Ourselves competition, in which students submitted their own written or spoken word poems, with an original poem titled “Dental Dreams.”

Now celebrating its 14th year of national competition, Poetry Out Loud is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country. For more information, visit the Poetry Out Loud website.

The Indiana State Library is dedicated to serving Indiana residents, leading and supporting the library community and preserving Indiana history.