Goals:

• To encourage the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance
• To help high school students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about our literary heritage

Overview

Recitation and performance are major new trends in poetry. There has been a recent resurgence of poetry as an oral art form as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music. Poetry Out Loud builds on that momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word and theater into the English class.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with arts agencies in each state to support the expansion of Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This exciting program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.

After successful pilot programs in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, the second phase of Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools across America in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. From there the program continued to expand throughout the nation.

In 2008–2009, North Carolina was among the top five states in participation with over 110 schools and 11,800 students participating in Poetry Out Loud. The 2009–2010 program culminated at the National Finals in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2010, when 16-year-old Amber Rose Johnson of Providence, Rhode Island, won the title of 2010 Poetry Out Loud National Champion from a competitive field of nearly 325,000 students nationwide.

School-level recitation champions advance to the district, state and national levels. In 2010, Poetry Out Loud awarded over $100,000 in prizes to students and schools at the state and national levels.

The 2011 National Finals in Washington, D.C., are scheduled to occur Wednesday, April 27, through Friday, April 29.

Starting at the classroom level, teachers are provided with free multimedia curriculum materials — a poetry anthology, audio guide, teacher’s guide, posters and comprehensive Web site, www.poetryoutloud.org, all aligned to national standards — to augment their regular poetry curriculum with poetry recitation and a school-level competition.

School districts are responsible for coordinating their own Poetry Out Loud competitions, including supplying all prizes. Award certificates for each level of competition are available as downloads on this Web site.

The contest occurs first at the classroom level, coordinated by English teachers. Classroom winners move on to the school level and then school winners compete in school district Poetry Out Loud contests. Possible Poetry Out Loud coordinators — at both the school and the district levels—include English teachers, theater arts teachers, school counselors, administrators, parents, PTA/PTO organizations and volunteers.

The district winners will meet in Raleigh at the North Carolina Museum of History on Saturday, March 5, 2011, to compete for the North Carolina Poetry Out Loud championship. The North Carolina champion will go on to Washington, D.C., to compete for a $20,000 college scholarship Wednesday, April 27, through Friday, April 29, 2011. District winners must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to comply with federal immigration and tax law.

Further information, including poems eligible for the competition, tips for teachers and students, press releases for coordinators, and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at www.poetryoutloud.org.

In Collaboration With: