A Canyon Crest Academy junior is headed to a statewide poetry recitation competition for high school students on the strength of her performance of two poems Tuesday night.
Sylvie Terjesen, 16, won the regional Poetry Out Loud competition at the San Diego Central Library downtown, where 12 students recited poems in two rounds.
Students from local private, public and home schools competed, having already made it through preliminary rounds. They were judged on six metrics: physical presence, dramatic appropriateness, understanding, overall performance, accuracy and voice or articulation.
This year’s competition — run by the National Poetry Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council and Write Out Loud — focused on “poems that celebrate the rich tapestry of American history and culture” in honor of 250 years since the nation’s founding.
Among the competitors, Walt Whitman appeared to be a favorite. His work made up four of the 12 poems performed, with two students performing “O Captain! My Captain!” in the judged rounds and a third reciting it in an unjudged, optional round while the judges tallied the scores.
Ixchel Roman Medina recites a poem during Poetry Out Loud on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 at the San Diego Central Library. (Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Terjesen read “Ecology” by Jack Collom and “The Robots Are Coming” by Kyle Dargan — the two poems that stood out to her the most in the catalogue. In an optional third round, she also read a poem she wrote herself.
Terjesen used hand gestures to emphasize some lines, pausing more at punctuation than at line breaks.
When she recites, punctuation is the main guideline she follows. She wants to stay true to a writer’s intentions — when they want a reader to pause, where they want moments of silence.
“What really makes poetry impactful sometimes isn’t the words but the spaces between them,” she said.
She selected “Ecology” for its interesting rhythm. She chose “The Robots Are Coming” partly because she liked the contrast with her other poem.
“But I also just thought it was kind of a unique, interesting, witty poem,” she added.
Terjesen has been interested in poetry since she was a child, but Poetry Out Loud helped develop her interest in the recitation aspect, she said.
Next month, she will head to Sacramento to compete in the Poetry Out Loud state finals. Whoever wins there will compete for the national title in April in Washington.
Competitors in the Poetry Out Loud event on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 at the San Diego Central Library. (Sandy Huffaker for The San Diego Union-Tribune)