Springfield, IL–(ENEWSPF)–March 11, 2013. From a competitive field of nearly 6,000 students from across the state, Rapheal Mathis, a senior from Plainfield East High School in Plainfield, received the title of 2013 Poetry Out Loud Illinois State Champion at the statewide competition hosted by the Springfield Area Arts Council in Springfield, on Friday, March 8, 2013. Mathis recited âSilenceâ by Thomas Hood, âBuickâ by Karl Shapiro, and âThe Giftâ by Li-Young Lee. Cat Harmon, a senior from Auburn High School, Rockford, won first runner-up with recitations of âAh! Why, Because the Dazzling Sunâ by Emily Brontë, âI felt a Funeral in my Brain, (340)â by Emily Dickinson, and Rebecca Lindenbergâs âCarnivalâ. Mr. Mathis will advance to the national competition to be held in Washington, D.C., in mid-April. If Mr. Mathis is unable to attend, Ms. Harmon will represent Illinois at the national contest.
