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Juneau high schooler recites her experience at national Poetry Out Loud finals
- Jasz Garrett
- May 7
- 4 min read
Updated: May 7
Cassie Lumba, 18, says participating was the win, plus the friends she made along the way
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
Cassie Lumba, a senior at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé, gave what she described as a natural, clear performance during the national finals of Poetry Out Loud in Washington, D.C., last week.
She performed three poems during the semifinals on April 28 and was selected as one of nine finalists out of 54 total competing students from U.S. states and territories. Lumba won Alaska's Poetry Out Loud competition in March.
For her final poem on April 29, Lumba recited “Poetry” by Marianne Moore.
“I really wanted the audience to understand that poetry does not have to be particularly very detailed or very raw — you can find poetry in the small or genuine things,” Lumba said in an interview Friday. “I think that’s what that poem is about. In order to understand the beauty of art and poetry, we have to realize that it doesn't have to be as detailed as we think.”
She said when she recited the poem, she looked around at everyone in the audience, hoping to connect with them.
“Even though everyone there was there to watch people recite, that doesn't mean that everyone understands the heart of poetry,” Lumba said. “And oftentimes people view poetry as something complex or something that requires a huge train of thought, when in reality, it can just be the simple things, like a bat hanging upside down, which is a line in my poem.”
Lumba said she felt like she accomplished her goal because audience members approached her after the recitation and thanked her for how clearly she conveyed the poem.
After she finished reciting, competition host and actress Justine “Icy” Moral asked Lumba how she connects with a poet who lived more than 100 years ago.
"I think that poetry and the way that the words come off the page, these emotions withstand the test of time," Lumba told Moral. "And I think every emotion has withstood the test of time, and I feel as though poetry and those emotions are almost like the wormhole at which we can connect. And so I think through that I definitely am able to connect with something that was written so long ago."
Lumba discovered she was able to connect with other competing students her age who are passionate about poetry for similar reasons. She said she had never been around so many peers interested in arts and literature.
“I think it was interesting to hear how everyone, despite having different upbringings, or experiencing different things in life, they all could connect and resonate with poetry,” she said. “And so I think it was very interesting to hear how everyone grew up, and to hear how the arts pertain to their life and how it transformed them, similar to how poetry sort of transformed mine.”
While she was not chosen as one of the final three competitors, Lumba said, "I'm not here to win it, I'm here to feel it." It was a mindset she carried throughout her experience, from the state level to national competition. The high school senior received a $1,000 prize and JDHS will receive $500 to purchase poetry materials as a result of Lumba making it to finals.
“In my mind, I was sort of already winning, like there was nothing for me to lose and only everything to gain, because being there with people that were so passionate, I felt like it fueled my passion,” Lumba said. “And all the support that all the participants gave each other — it didn't feel like a competition. It really just felt like a way for me to express myself and to voice my emotions regarding the poetry that I was reciting.”
Lumba said she felt surrounded by support from peers and family, which helped her not to feel nervous on stage.
“Right when I go on stage, before I say my poem, I take a huge, deep breath,” Lumba added.
Lumba said the biggest thing she learned from the experience was how to let go of pressure so she could recite her poem naturally on stage.
“I think when it is truly from you and you are truly natural, your point, or at least your message in your poem, is more clearly able to go across,” she said.
She said while performing for finals she felt joy, perseverance and a sense of being fulfilled. Backstage was fun, too.
“It was just so much support that when Jayda Dawn finally won, we just started to cry,” Lumba said. “I had never cried that many tears of joy, that feeling of seeing her win, seeing her mom just stand up in the crowd, and seeing everyone just light up and commending her performance.”
She added that shared emotion and experience “is what really makes Poetry Out Loud such an amazing organization for students to be a part of.”
“You don’t get to feel that every day,” Lumba said. “There was no sense of huge competition, really, because we were all just happy for each other.”
While the competition took up much of her time, Lumba said she was able to explore some of D.C. She said the trip provided her with a different worldview since it had been a long time since she’d traveled outside of Juneau.
“I’m really glad I got the opportunity to see D.C. because there’s so much history and art,” she said. “I was able to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Declaration of Independence and I was able to stop by the National Museum of Art. I think that was amazing.”
She said while she plans to go into a more technical field after high school, her love for literature “will still be strong.” Lumba added that hopefully in the future, she’ll return to JDHS to encourage other students to participate in Poetry Out Loud.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
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