On Dec. 12, visitors lined up outside the North Carolina Executive Mansion to attend the reception of the inaugural Regional Spoken Word Contest. Created by piedmont laureate Dasan Ahanu and sponsored by multiple local arts programs, the contest aimed to promote writing in the community.
Spoken word is a type of poetry that involves writers expressing their thoughts through speech and gestures. This form of poetry was originally created during the Harlem Renaissance and popularized through the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s.
To compete in the Regional Spoken Word Contest, high school students submitted a video of themselves performing their poem through the online application. Judges reviewed the poems and selected 12 finalists from a total of 83 applications. Three Green Hope students Amy Le (‘24), Rishil Shirumalla (‘25) and Olivia Riddoch (‘26) were among the finalists.
The finalists were invited to a reception at the North Carolina Executive Mansion, where each were awarded $50 and a congratulatory plaque. Additionally, the top three poems were announced, with first place receiving $500, second place receiving $300 and third receiving $200.
Le, who heard about the contest from her creative writing teacher, placed first. She described her reaction to the news. “Complete, utter shock. Amongst all of my well-dressed, well-spoken, charismatic peers, I felt small and ridiculous,” she said. “But then I heard my name, and for the rest of the day I shook hands with those same people with my jaw hanging open.”
Riddoch, who placed third, reacted similarly to Le. “I was honestly very shocked, just because I felt like I was one of the youngest […] I told myself it’s okay, l’ve made it this far, I’m going to be proud of myself whatever happens. But then when I got the money and the trophy, it was very exciting,” she said.
The reception was an incredible experience for the finalists, with speeches from renowned poets and officials. “My outlook on poetry has definitely changed. At the awards ceremony, I expected there to be next to no one. I couldn’t be more wrong,” Le said.
“I held amazing conversations with so many brilliant people: famous poets, my talented peers, their supportive families and United Arts Council members alike. I learned there are people out there that hold art to the highest degree, people that really do care.”
Riddoch was especially impacted by a poem written by Dasan Ahanu himself.
“The laureate, Dasan Ahanu actually performed a spoken word poem […] It was about the idea of having butterflies in your stomach and nervousness,” she explained. “I think that was really powerful since we had to put in all the effort of submitting and going through the scary part of performing. He also kind of did the same thing by performing in front of all these people.”
Green Hope creative writing teacher Ms. Rebecca Lang encouraged her students to submit to the contest and attended the reception. “I think it’s really special for these kids to be celebrated at the governor’s mansion with the governor and his wife there,” she said.
Riddoch and Le agreed that participating in the contest was a highly beneficial and enlightening experience. “It taught me a lot about how impactful words can be and how impactful poetry is on so many different people. It taught me how this is really an amazing art form.
“It’s amazing how kids our age, in highschool, have so much to say,” Riddoch said. “It’s amazing how we can get this platform to say everything we need to. I think it’s really powerful.”
Le echoed Riddoch’s sentiments, saying, “I think that these events have the potential to bring awareness to a lot of young people that there is an audience for the beauty in your thoughts, just as there is an audience for the horror, the tragedy and the peace of them […] there is most certainly someone out there who resonated with that sincerely.”
“Now I have a new love for poetry that I honestly didn’t have before this class or even before submitting.” Riddoch added.
The participants look forward to additional poetry opportunities as the Piedmont Laureate program continues to promote writing in North Carolina.
