Judging the Poetry Out Loud National Finals is a tough job, but you know what they say---somebody's got to do it. So who are these somebodies? Well, according to our interviews with the judges, we have at least one haibun, one sestina, and some free verse in the bunch. Confused? Read on and we promise it'll make perfect sense. And don't forget to tune in to the live webcast of the #POl13 semi-finals today from 9am-8pm and the finals tomorrow at 7pm to see our judges at work! (All times are EDT.)

NEA: What's your five-word bio?

FADY JOUDAH: Palestinian-American, Husband, Father, Poet, Doctor

NEA: What kinds of art-full activities do you get up to when you're not judging poetry competitions?

JOUDAH: I watch documentaries, listen to classical Arab music and song, write poetry

NEA: Which poets and other artists, living or dead, would you invite to your next dinner party?

JOUDAH: Mahmoud Darwish, Miroslav Holub, Emily Dickinson, Al-Mutanabbi

NEA: What kind of poem are you?

JOUDAH: A poem in translation

NEA: Which poem would you memorize and why?

JOUDAH: Any of Shakespeare's sonnets. Each has at least 27 lessons to learn. I love most his off-beat ones, so to speak, like Sonnet 66. I would also memorize a poem, any poem, in another language, given I could speak that language reasonably well.

Eduardo Corral. Photo courtesy of Mr. Corral

NEA: What’s your five-word bio?

EDUARDO CORRAL: Reader. Reader. Reader. Poet. Son.

NEA: What kinds of art-full activities do you get up to when you’re not judging poetry competitions?

CORRAL: I live in New York City. I love walking around, exploring new neighborhoods. I'm always visiting museums, trying out new restaurants, making coffee dates with old and new friends.

NEA: Which poets and other artists, living or dead, would you invite to your next dinner party?

CORRAL: I would love to break bread with Robert Hayden and Federico Garcia Lorca. I would sit back and let them talk. I can't even begin to fathom their conversation. But just thinking about it fills me with joy.

NEA: What kind of poem are you?

CORRAL: I'm the volta in a sonnet. A turn, a twist, a change.

Which poem would you memorize and why?

CORRAL: Currently, I'm memorizing "Iskandariya" by Brigit Pegeen Kelly. It's one of the most beautiful and moving poems I know. I carry it with me everywhere. It lives in my heart. It's helping me to heal a broken heart.

Philippa Hughes. Photo by Matt Dunn

NEA: What's your five-word bio?

PHILIPPA HUGHES: Curious, courageous, passionate, generous, inspired

NEA: What kinds of art-full activities do you get up to when you're not judging poetry competitions?

HUGHES: My whole life is an art-full activity. The whole process of living is my creative act.

NEA: Which poets and other artists, living or dead, would you invite to your next dinner party?

HUGHES: Marina Abramovic

NEA: What kind of poem are you?

HUGHES: Free verse. I can't be restricted by any rules.

NEA: Which poem would you memorize and why?

HUGHES: Leaves of Grass because I contain multitudes.

Tree Swenson. Photo by Brian Palmer.

NEA: What's your five-word bio?

TREE SWENSON: Poets---most of my life.

NEA: What kinds of art-full activities do you get up to when you're not judging poetry competitions?

SWENSON: Reading poetry, going to poetry readings, reading poetry, arranging poetry readings, reading poetry, working with poets---and writers!

NEA: Which poets and other artists, living or dead, would you invite to your next dinner party?

SWENSON: T.S. Eliot, Donald Hall, Kevin Young, Kay Ryan, Heather McHugh, Lyndall Gordon, and Tracy K. Smith

NEA: What kind of poem are you?

SWENSON: An ambiguous poem---one requiring magnums of negative capability.

NEA: Which poem would you memorize and why?

SWENSON: Beyond the many poems I've already memorized, I would memorize [T.S. Eliot's] Four Quartets, but my memory isn't quite that big.

Kevin Dyels. Photo by Daniel Morris, Fat Yeti Productions

NEA: What's your five-word bio?

KEVIN DYELS: Theater, travel, music, humor, ASL.

NEA: What kinds of art-full activities do you get up to when you're not judging poetry competitions?

DYELS: I work with the deaf community in visual theater. I watch as many professional theater and concert performances as possible. I do some sound design.

NEA: Which poets and other artists, living or dead, would you invite to your next dinner party?

DYELS: Neil Simon, Jason Mraz, Kanye West, William Shakespeare, Missy Higgins, Anne Frank

NEA: What kind of poem are you?

DYELS: Free verse

NEA: Which poem would you memorize and why?

DYELS: "There is another Sky"--- Emily Dickinson---it's simple with clear imagery. Additionally it has an encouraging and inviting tone that leaves you feeling lighter and connected to the piece.

Jon West-Bey. Photo courtesy of Mr. West-Bey