In October, Poetry Out Loud changed. The website’s formerly cobalt blue and purple color scheme is now navy, promotional videos were taken down and an American flag with the words “Freedom 250” are etched on the homepage. This shift is more than just a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary; alongside it came the expulsion of every poem not in the public domain and the additional removal of multiple works by poets of color and marginalized gender identities.
In response, English teacher Kathleen Keelty and 2025 Poetry Out Loud California State Champion Selah Johnson (‘26) decided to pull Archer from the competition, ending its five-year-long involvement. The two agreed that the competition no longer aligned with their values, nor did it match Archer’s.
When the two realized there were no alternate competitions for Archer to participate in, they decided to create their own. With a name created by history teacher Bethany Neubauer, a website built by junior Adella Travers and a judging panel made up of Keelty, Johnson, librarian Denise Soto and English teacher Stephanie Nicolard, Poetry Allowed was born.
“One of the things that I loved about Poetry Out Loud was that there were so many poems that kids could pick from and everyone would be able to find something that was good, that worked, that helped them speak their truth or channel their voice, and when all of that was taken away, I just felt angry,” Keelty said. “But putting this together has been really empowering for the students who are involved, and it taught a greater lesson than I could have come up with, which is that you don’t have to let these obstacles get in your way. You just have to figure out ways around them.”
The first round took place in the Zeller Student Center Feb. 18, and Dara Alitoro (‘28), Vivianne Arnold (‘26), Phoebe Gustafson (‘27), Stella Leland (‘26) and Samara Gottlieb (‘28) were named finalists. The final round took place Monday, May 11, in the Library. Finalists competed in two rounds, reciting one poem per round.
The students had the freedom to choose any two pieces they wanted, with selections ranging from Audre Lorde’s “A Woman Speaks” to an excerpt from “John Proctor is the Villain.” Later that day, Gustafson was announced as the 2026 winner for her recitations of “A Supermarket in California” and “My Invisible Horse and the Speed of Human Decency.”
Sophomore Natalie Subotky attended the finals and said that the diverse array of poems cultivated empathy and “offered a glimpse” into the unique feelings and perspectives of each poet and speaker.
“There’s so much meaning when poems are performed because words were meant to be spoken, and, especially in poetry, it gives you a whole new sense of a poem or of words,” Subotky said. “It also gives you a glimpse into someone’s mind, and you get to see how they interpret the author’s writing. It is so amazing and spellbinding to hear poetry spoken out loud.”
Because the process of creating Poetry Allowed began around October, Keelty said one of the biggest challenges the team faced was scheduling. The academic and event calendar is decided before the beginning of each year, so Keelty struggled to find times and locations for the first and second rounds of the competition. This meant the announcement of the finals came at the last minute and did not offer participants much time to prepare.
“The whole thing to me was wonderful,” Keelty said. “One thing I felt bad about was trying to find a time. Our calendar is so full at Archer. The fact that everybody was able to — on such short notice — still prepare and come with so much passion didn’t surprise me because I know everyone who participated is a rock star, but it surprised me how powerful their performances were, especially considering the circumstances.”
When considering Poetry Allowed’s future for the 2026-2027 school year, Keelty said the competition’s biggest drawback is that it is a “terminal contest,” as winners cannot advance beyond a schoolwide victory. If Poetry Out Loud returns to its “normal self,” however, Keelty plans to have conversations with students to hear their perspectives on returning to the national competition.
No matter the scale, Gottlieb said she feels honored to share and hear diverse perspectives through poetry. She said that the final round of Poetry Allowed was a celebration of hard work, shared humanity and an art form she adores.
“Poetry matters because it’s a deeper way of being able to express your emotions and to express the human condition. Using poetry, you can connect to universal thoughts and feelings that some random girl in 1860 wrote down and then left in a journal,” Gottlieb said. “Isn’t that beautiful? You can connect to so many people through poetry, and you can find universal sentiments regardless of context.”
