Tia Robinson is no stranger to performing in front of crowds.

But her past performances could pale in comparison to what the sophomore from Rappahannock High School in Warsaw will experience Monday in the semifinals of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest in Washington.

Robinson represents Virginia at the national competition after beating out 30 other high school students in the state finals last month at the Library of Virginia. She'll be pitted against champions from 49 states and Washington. The competitors will recite from memory poems chosen from a list of more than 600 pieces.

"I have the mindset right now that I'm going to win. I can't expect any less," Robinson said. "If I have the mindset of going up there to lose, that's what I'm going to do. So, I have the mindset of winning, taking it all."

The fact that Robinson, 16, is now comfortable in front of crowds may come as a surprise to those who knew her when she was younger. By her own admission, she wasn't very outspoken, but that changed when she began singing.

"People were telling me I was doing a real good job and I started believing in myself," she said.

While no stranger to performing, reciting poetry was a new experience for the Rappahannock High sophomore class president. She was discovered by her English teacher, Grover C. Winfield III, during an open-mic night at the high school.

Winfield said when he heard her recite, "it was obvious that she is a natural talent."

Robinson, who throws the shot put and discus for her school's track team, has spent three days a week after school working with Winfield on the poems she has prepared for the competition -- by Nikki Giovanni, Lord Byron and Lucille Clifton. She also practices at home, using a tape recorder to critique herself.

"I think she's a natural performer; I think her background in singing helps," Winfield said. "Her preparation -- she doesn't mind putting in the work [and] the practice that is necessary to get to that point."
Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or jslayton@timesdispatch.com.