Sedona Red Rock High School juniors Glenna Barnes and Iolani Sutton were among the nine contestants in the 20th annual Poetry Out Loud state finals on Saturday, March 8, at Arizona State University’s Memorial Union in Tempe. Poetry Out Loud is a national high school poetry recitation competition that combines spoken word and slam poetry. Students are required to recite three poems, including one with 25 lines or fewer and one written prior to the 20th century.

Barnes and Sutton won SRRHS’s 2025 Poetry Out Loud competition on Jan. 21 and advanced to the regional semifinals on Feb. 8, where Sutton took second place and Barnes took third, earning spots in the state competition.

Liam McLaughlin of the Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy took first place in the state competition, reciting “We Used Our Words We Used What Words We Had” by Franny Choi, “Songs for the People” by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer. McLaughlin will move on to compete in the national finals, which will be held on May 5 through 7 in Washington, D.C.

Isabel Teran of Sahuarita High School took second place, Yuliana Alvarez of Rio Rico High School came in third and Anllely Corral of Flowing Wells High School came in fourth.

“A lot of the judges came up to us and told us we did a really good job,” Sutton said. “The people who advanced were really impressive. I think I performed well — I said everything correctly and timed it perfectly. Many judges said they’d love to see me compete again next year, so hopefully, with more improvement, I can make it to at least the top four.”

“Meeting all the other contestants was a great experience,” Barnes said. “We bonded over our shared nerves before going on stage. The Q&A portion was especially fun because hearing everyone’s responses gave insight into their personalities.”

Barnes recited Kazim Ali’s “Rain,” a poem exploring themes of longing and inevitability, and had selected Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Arrow and the Song” for the next round.

Sutton performed “No, I Wasn’t Meant to Love and Be Loved” by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, along with Richard Blanco’s “Burning in the Rain.”

“In ‘Burning in the Rain,’ there is a line that says, ‘Instead of burning, my pages turned into water lilies floating over puddles.’ When you hear the poem, this moment marks a shift. Everything begins to calm down,” Sutton said. “Instead of rage, the rain comes in, bringing a sense of peace. [Performing] gave me more confidence. I liked how everyone was so supportive and encouraging.”

“I would have taken my time more. I think I rushed through it a little bit too much,” Barnes said. “If I had slowed down and really let the words sink in, I think it would have been a more impactful experience … Even though we did well, there were others who did better, and that’s okay. Personally, I wasn’t expecting to advance any further, so I’m content with how it went.”

“Watching the two of them recite their poems was inspiring for me to watch them bring their chosen poems to life,” Superintendent Tom Swaninger, Ph.D., said previously. “It takes courage to put yourself out there like that in front of your peers.”