York Schoolgirl in finals of Poet Laureate's Nationwide Competition

Published on isbi School News dated Thursday 18th of April 2013

A York schoolgirl who won the regional final of the Poetry-By-Heart competition which is spearheaded by Poet Laureate Andrew Motion will compete in the national finals in London's National Portrait Gallery this Thursday to Saturday.

Niamh Devlin, 15, of The Mount School travels to London this Thursday to take part in the competition where she will recite a poem of 25 lines or fewer.

Niamh won the Yorkshire round reciting an extract from 'The Ballad of Reading Goal' by Oscar Wilder and 'Dusting the Phone' by Jackie Kay, saying 'I like that both poems contain quite a lot of emotion, so from a performance point of view they are very interesting. I particularly liked Wilde's poem which portrays the experience of being a first-timer in prison.' Seven schools from across North Yorkshire took part in the regional finals.

Poetry-By-Heart is open to students in Years 10-13 and encourages pupils to learn and recite poems by heart 'as the outward and audible manifestation of an inwardly-understood and enjoyed poem' says Andrew Motion on the competition's website.

For further details or to arrange an interview with Niamh, please contact Vanessa Charters at The Mount School on 07568067118.