TN Arts Commission Celebrates State Champion’s Performance at POL National Finals in D.C.

Posted May 9, 2024 | Posted in: Arts Education, News

By Julia Stark, Arts Learning Specialist –

A person with shoulder-length brown hair speaks or sings into a microphone while wearing a white textured turtleneck. The background is blue and out of focus. — Charlotte Bollschweiler performing at the Poetry Out Loud national finals. | Photo/James Kegley

The Tennessee Arts Commission proudly congratulates Charlotte Bollschweiler, who represented the Volunteer State with remarkable poise and eloquence at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals Competition in Washington, D.C., on May 1, 2024. The national poetry recitation competition, hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, showcases the talents of high school students from across the nation.

Representing Tennessee in the South-Central Region, Charlotte Bollschweiler, a senior from Clayton Bradley Academy in Maryville, showcased her exceptional talent and dedication to the art of poetry and underscored Tennessee’s commitment to artistic excellence. Competing against a field of gifted students nationwide, Charlotte represented Tennessee with distinction in the semi-final round, reciting contemporary and classical poetry. Three years of competing at the state level have culminated in her well-deserved spot at the National Finals.

The Tennessee Arts Commission congratulates Charlotte Bollschweiler for her outstanding achievement and exemplary representation of our state’s vibrant arts community. Charlotte’s participation in the Poetry Out Loud National Finals exemplifies the Commission’s mission to nurture artistic talent and promote the transformative power of poetry statewide.

Blue text reads Poetry Out Loud next to an old-fashioned microphone illustration. The word Poetry is inside a speech bubble, and the background is white.

For more information about the Tennessee Arts Commission and its commitment to supporting the arts in Tennessee, please visit tnartscommission.org. To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud program, visit poetryoutloud.org.