Maryland Poetry Out Loud Winner Prepares For National Finals

We’ve been talking today to people who’ve used the power of the written word to bring compelling stories to their readers and theater-goers. Our next guest is a young woman who discovered the power, and the joy, of writing at a very early age. ShareseAcheampongis a 17-year-old senior at New Town High School in Owings Mills. She says she's been writing poetry and short stories practically since she first learned how to wield a pen. Last month, she placed first in the 2016 Maryland Poetry Out Loud competition, a poetry-reading and writing contest sponsored by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. More than 9,000 students from across the state vied for the $200 prize and the chance to compete in the National Finals in Washington DC, May 2-4. To see and hear Sharese Acheampong reading her winning original poem, The Morrison House, click here. She joins Tom in the studio.