On the Scene with Hawai‘i Poetry Out Loud winner Taylor Cozloff

The old adage about the third time being the charm proved true for Taylor Cozloff this spring when the 17-year-old ­Kamehameha Schools senior won the 2021 Hawai‘i Poetry Out Loud competition in March. Cozloff had placed second in her first two tries.

Born and raised on Oahu, Cozloff discovered poetry at an early age. She grew up reading, writing and reciting it. Cozloff is in her third year on the staff of Ka Mo‘i, the student newspaper at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama; this is her second year as editor in chief.

Cozloff will represent Hawaii in the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in May when she’ll compete virtually against students from the other 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. The semifinal competition takes place on May 2. Nine finalists will compete for the title of Poetry Out Loud National Champion and $20,000 cash on May 27. You can watch both rounds of competition at arts.gov.

Did you do anything different this year?

I think I was a little more adventurous with the poems I chose. I haven’t done a very contemporary piece before, but I did one this year that was a lot more difficult to unpack. That might have given me a leg up than other years.

Did you have any doubts about going for it a third time?

No, I didn’t. I think with COVID and everything I just wanted some sense of normalcy. A lot of kids do come back, and if they don’t go to nationals, or don’t win at nationals, (they) come back to try again.

What are the differences for you in competing on video and in person?

I do a lot better in person just because I like the pressure. Doing it in person, it’s one time, and I know I can’t mess up. Doing it on video got into my head because I could rewatch (my performances), and so if I didn’t think they were up to par I would do it over and over and over again. That was very stressing for me.

Looking forward, where are you planning to go to college?

Either American University (in Washington D.C.) or the New School in New York. I have family in Washington (state) so I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Washington, but I’ve never been to the East Coast.

What area of media do you want to work in?

I’m in between right now. I’m interested in world affairs, but I’m also very interested in the music world. (Music) is a very close thing to me and I think that would also be a really fun thing for me to do.

Online media, broadcast media or print?

Hopefully print. I like having (the newspaper) in my hands and being able to read it.

Do you have a favorite story or interview?

I did a story on a transgender student from my school. We were trying to get our dress code to change, and (the story) ended up getting a state award. It’s something I’m very proud of.

Putting you on the spot as a Native Hawaiian journalist, how is the mainstream media doing in covering issues that are important to Native Hawaiians?

It’s like a mixed bag, especially on TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope) kind of stuff. I think it’s funny that a lot of the national news portrays the kupuna on Mauna Kea in a very good light while some of the local media can sometimes lean a little bit more toward TMT. Coverage locally is definitely better than the amount of coverage that we get nationally. I wish that we would get more national news, especially on the issues that Hawaiians are still facing like poverty and higher prison (incarceration) rates.

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Reach John Berger at jberger@staradvertiser.com.