Four teens on why they like poetry

By Elizabeth Blair

Published May 6, 2025 at 4:57 PM EDT

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Nyla Dinkins representst Washington, D.C., at the 20th annual Poetry Out Loud competition this week. — Nyla Dinkins represents Washington, D.C., at the 20th annual Poetry Out Loud competition this week.

The finals of the Poetry Out Loud high school poetry competition take place in Washington, D.C., this week. NPR asked some of this year's competitors about how to master a poem.

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Elizabeth Blair

Elizabeth Blair is a Peabody Award-winning senior producer/reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR News.

See stories by Elizabeth Blair

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