Part of the appeal of poetry, according to former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky, is that its power is transferable: Individuals other than the artist can wield it in their own way.

"For me a crucial thing about poetry, as it means the most to me, is that it is written for anybody's voice," he said in a recent interview by Big Think New York (www.bigthink.com).

The success of his Favorite Poem Project, which involved videotaping more than 18,000 Americans reading their favorite poems, was built on the idea that if someone feels a personal connection to a poem, their reading of it can make a very moving performance.

Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation contest for high school students, is built on similar principles, and celebrates the transformation that can occur when a poem is lifted off the page and is imbued with the personal energy of the spoken word. Juneau high schools have been involved in the program for the past four years.

"I've had students just give me chills with their presentations because they've made those poems their own," said Casady Herding, a language arts teacher at Thunder Mountain High School.

Thunder Mountain sophomore Tyee Dunlap will be among seven finalists who will compete in the state recitation championships on Monday. The six other regional finalists are: Caitlyn Woolsey, of Sitka; Justina Lipscomb, of Delta Junction; Elias Garvey, of Homer; April Hostetter, of Igiugig; Emma Roemhild, of Cordova; and Marti Marey, of Anchorage.

The event will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Juneau Arts & Culture Center, and doors open at 4 p.m. A reception following the event, hosted by Delta Kappa Gamma, will feature live music by John Unzicker's jazz band. The event is free, but seating is limited to 200.

For Nancy Decherney, executive director of the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, hearing poems out loud made all the difference.

"I never liked poetry, then I went to a Gary Synder reading and I thought 'Holy cow!' it adds a whole different dimension."

Dunlap, who also writes his own poetry, is a very powerful speaker, said his teacher, Kristin Garot.

"The kids love hearing him recite his poems. When we first did it, I think it took everyone by surprise how impassioned he was with his poem," Garot said.

Herding recently heard Dunlap perform a poem in front of a student assembly, and said the entire audience was riveted.

"He did a wonderful freestyle poem at our assembly a few weeks ago. It was about using your voice and speaking your mind, and all the power that young people have and using if for something positive. And it was just stunning. ... You could have heard a pin drop," Herding said.

Juneau high schools have been involved in the Poetry Out Loud program for the past four years. Most schools in Alaska sent videos of students performing their poems, DeCherney said, although Anchorage and Juneau held face-to-face competitions. Poems were selcted from the Poetry Out Loud anthology, which has more than 600 titles. This year's list includes classics like Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty" and Shakespeare's "Sonnet XVIII: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" as well as contemporary works such as "Ways of Talking" by Ha Jin and "Litany" by Billy Collins.

"The first time we did it, they all went for the shortest poem. But as time went on, I knew which ones to avoid. I can direct them away from some of the those poems, ... and encourage the kids to find a poem that is of interest to them that they can connect to," Garot said.

Once they've settled on a poem, the students must commit it to memory. Herding said she highlights the music-poetry connection in class and has discussions about hip hop and rap as a way to engage the students interest.

"When you break it down and look at the rhythm and the rhyme schemes - and even the themes ... all those elements are in place," she said of the hip-hop genre.

Garot said every year there is at least one student performance that surprises her with its power.

"For some of them its like the first time you hear them all year long and they stand up there and do their poem and the kids are like, 'Wow!'." Garot said. "It helps kids see each other in a different way. There's always a surprise, always someone who gets really into it that you don't expect."

For Monday's competition, students will be scored on a scale of one to six in the following areas: Physical presence, voice and articulation, appropriateness of dramatization, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. Judges include University of Alaska president and poet Mark Hamilton, Alaska Writer Laureate Nancy Lord, Haines author Heather Lende, UAS Creative Writing Professor Emily Wall and Anchorage Representative and writer Mike Doogan. Dan Henry of Haines will emcee.

State winners receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. to compete in the national competition on April 28. The student's school receives a $500 stipend, intended for the purchase of poetry books. Runners-up in each state receive $100 and $200 for their school library.

Last year's winner was Alev Kelter, from Chugiak. Berett Wilber, of Sitka, was the runner-up.