Andrew Cusmano has been practically living his life on the stage. Since he was the age of ten, Cusmano has often found himself on many stages performing shows from Shakespeare all the way to elaborate poems written by various authors.
Poetry Out Loud, also known as POL, is a competition in which students will memorize and recite three poems of their choice and get judged. Depending on their score, the student might then advance to the next level.
Poetry is a way to express your feelings, as all writing is. I find that poetry is much more personal and deep than for example, just writing a story.
— Andrew Cusmano, 11
Recently, Cusmano got the opportunity to perform at the POL regional competition, where he went against students from local schools in Iowa. Here, he memorized and recited three poems, and won, allowing him to advance on to the state level, where he would perform yet again.
Cusmano, after a tense competition, won Iowa’s POL State competition, and now goes on to compete nationally on an all-expenses paid trip to Washington D.C from April 30 through May 3.
Cusmano performed a total of four poems, and when asked about his favorite one, he shared “Oh easily, Windigo by Louise Erdrich. That’s why I’ve kept it. I did it at regionals. I did it at state. I will do it at nationals because it’s such a fun poem.”
The poems Cusmano performed include “I Remember, I Remember” by Thomas Hood, “Blackberry-Picking” by Seamus Heaney, “Life in a Love” by Robert Browning, and “Windigo” by Louise Erdrich, which you can read below.
for Philip Hobsbaum
For Angela
The Windigo is a flesh-eating, wintry demon with a man buried deep inside of it. In some Chippewa stories, a young girl vanquishes this monster by forcing boiling lard down its throat, thereby releasing the human at the core of ice.
When asked about his favorite part of competing, Cusmano shares that it would be “getting to work.” He shares that “It’s a really fun experience to rehearse the poems to analyze them.” Cusmano also shares that attending competitions allowed him to make many new connections. “I also really like how you can make new friends and stuff with people that I saw at Poetry Out Loud and competed against. I’ve seen them since and they’ve been super nice!”
During an interview with Cusmano, he shares his excitement for his upcoming trip to Washington D.C. He shares that he is “incredibly excited.” When asked what he was most excited for, Cusmano shared “I’m really looking forward to getting to perform at the national level. But what’s most exciting to me is the fact that I have never been to Washington DC. I’ve never been to any of the states on that side in the US. I’ve also never been on a plane!”
As Cusmano heads off to Washington D.C for his all-expenses paid trip, the stakes are quite high. If he wins the national competition, he will receive a $20,000 scholarship to a college of his choice, and $500 for West High for the purchase of poetry materials.
On April 4, Cusmano and Hirdler got the amazing opportunity to be interviewed by KXEL, a Waterloo-based radio station.
Hirdler shares that the process leading up to competition is very meticulous. Hirdler states, “In our rehearsals, we worked on a lot of different things including memorization, accuracy, and more. Oftentimes, we would go line by line, stanza by stanza, multiple times to get each section to a place we felt good about.” He also shares that there are many aspects to the process of rehearsing, so much that he “could not list them all in this interview.” He continues to say “It really speaks to the dense and detailed nature of the form itself and how that translates into the choices we make for performance and the process we use to get there.”
There are many different challenges when reciting poetry. “In poetry, there is so much nuance and to translate that into performance of any kind requires meticulous attention to detail,” shares Hirdler.
Every time we read it again, we discovered something new or had a new thought about the piece. The process, for me, is as exciting as the performance.
— Benjamin Hirdler
He continues to share about finding the balance between the poet’s intention and student interpretation. One of the complex obstacles of recitation is to honor the demands on the poem itself. Hirdler states “Above all that, performers need to feel comfortable and confident in the choices they end up making.”
When asked about his hopes for Cusmano, Hirdler says “My hope for him is that he finds three more pieces that are meaningful to him and he uses next year as an opportunity to grow as a performer, a reader, and as a human being. Andy possesses a rare combination of talent and determination to work. He LOVES to rehearse, which is what makes him so strong as a performer.”
West High has such a strong history and even stronger traditions for the arts. The school’s work with the Poetry Out Loud Foundation is another addition to the already strong reputation.
The hope is that as more students hear about the success that Andrew has accomplished, they are inspired to do the same.
