Springing alive, words bounced around the conference room at the Lucille Blueford Library. Energized by emotion, they emerged from the microphone and echoed their message around. Urged on by a soft voice, they were filled with intensity and passion. Those powerful words had junior Tempest Malone to thank. Standing in front of the microphone and filling the room with intensity, Malone continued to articulate her chosen poems in her third Poetry Out Loud competition. This time it was the Kansas City area regionals, which led to her advancing to the State competition.

Four years ago in middle school, Malone was sitting in a creative writing class at the Writer’s Place amongst other peers about to share an original poem. Chosen as one of three participants to share their writing piece at the end of the time, she discovered a new love for expressing her emotions and thoughts through  poetry.

“It showed me that sharing poetry and exposing yourself isn’t as scary as you think it is,” Malone said.

Continuing her love of writing and poetry into high school, Malone was introduced to the Poetry Out Loud annual competition by English Curriculum Coordinator and teacher Casey Engel. Having experience with poetry, Malone saw this competition as an opportunity to grow her relationship with poetry.

“She adds empathy [to the poem], she makes each poem really three dimensional,” Engel said. “She makes each poem into its own story.”

Poetry serves as a way for her to analyze the intentions of the author and express them according to her own feelings. She uses these skills while picking her poems to perform at Poetry Out Loud. Malone must choose one pre-twentieth century poem and one poem under twenty-five lines. Spending about a month to prepare her performance, she practices about once a week until a week leading up to the competition.

“Every time before I perform I get really nervous and get scared that I’ll forget my poem, but because I’ve practiced them so many times when I get up there it all goes how I want it to,” Malone said. “I get into my zone.”

Malone sees poetry as a means for expressing emotions. Poetry, as well as literature, inspires her to write her own poems. Writing exactly as she feels, Malone’s poems range from meticulously crafted drafts to informal writing that capture the moment’s mood. She tends to focus on dramatic poems or ones with a common theme of love.

“I usually write when I just feel like I need to say something or something I feel passionate about or something that’s just sticking to my mind. It just comes to me,” Malone said.

Malone attended a National Public Radio workshop during her freshman year where she listened to local speakers. Later, Malone participated in a corresponding workshop which held classes and provided assistance for students in their own writing. Advisors from the workshop later chose Malone to perform her poetry in front of the attendees. She also shares her poetry through other artwork on The Siren, the online literary and arts magazine guided by Director of High School Library and Media services Jenny Campbell, incorporating another self-taught passion: painting.

“She consistently challenges herself,” Campbell said. “There’s never a questioning of her own abilities.

Along with various workshops, Malone uses her poetry to connect with the community. Her family reached out to Swope Ridge Geriatric Center nursing home to get involved, where they now hold events for the residents and she performs poetry. Malone forms connections with the audience through spoken word and the emotions that come with it.

“I think poetry has a way of letting people say things without saying them head-on. They express things in [a] way that more people can understand,” Malone said. “I think that poetry can be interpreted so many different ways. It’s not the same for everyone.”

Her spoken word performances channel emotions that are mature for the typical high school student, according to Engel. Malone performs the poem as though she wrote it, something Engel credits to the personal connection Malone creates with the literature.  

“She has a depth that few people her age has. She has an emotional register that really just makes her poetry truly comes to life,” Engel said.

Malone advanced to the state competition in Jefferson City this year, the farthest she has gone throughout her three competitions. Performing “And Soul” by Eavan Boulan, “Idea 61” by Michael Drayton and “Beautiful Wreckage” by W.D. Ehrhart, Malone advanced to this competition after competing against nine other students. The state competition was held March 7-8 where Malone did not win to advance to the national competition.

“There’s always a few real serious contenders and Tempest is one of them,” Engel said.

Although the majority of Malone’s poem composition and practice takes place outside of school. Malone has also shared her original poems through the literary magazine Les Vitraux, and plans to continue to share her passion for literary expression.

“I want to make sure that poetry stays a consistent part in my life,” Malone said.