Nita Hardin wins Union Co. Poetry Out Loud Competition, advances to state level

 

The Union County Heritage Museum announced that Nita Hardin has won first place in the annual Union County Poetry Out Loud Competition. She will advance for the second consecutive year to the state regional competition in February of 2026. She won second in the state in 2026.

This is the museum’s second year to sponsor and coordinate the Union County POL Competition where winners win cash prizes and have the opportunity to compete state wide and nationally. Other winners included Ellie Aguilar, second place and third place Annie Rodriguez.

Poetry Out Loud is a high school program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. Students from all 50 states and the territories work with teachers and organizers at the local level to select, memorize and learn to recite three poems for competition.

What does Poetry Out Loud do for participants? Students discover confidence in their public speaking skills and create deep, personal connections with the literary canon through the nationwide program that is sponsored in Mississippi by the Mississippi Arts Commission.

Speaking of her experience as a POL student Hardin said, “Poetry Out Loud has taught me how many layers of meaning a poem can have, and how it’s worth trying to discover all of them.” Participants also have the opportunity to explore creative writing, and connect with other likeminded students.

Hardin recited three poems to win her spot, including “Friendship After Love” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox and “The Dew and the Bird” by Alexander Posey. This is her second year participating in Poetry Out Loud and in 2025 she won second place in the state competition. Ellie Aguilar and Annie Rodriguez won second and third place, respectively. Congratulations to all of our winners!

Poetry Out Loud is a free program for any high school student entering 9th through 12th grade. For more information or to sign up a student for the Union County Heritage Museum’s 2026 Poetry Out Loud class, please call the museum at (662) 538-0014.

Jill N. Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum & Faulkner Garden
114 Cleveland St.
New Albany, MS 38652
662-538-0014

“The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.” William Faulkner, “Requieum for a Nun”