EVENT: Poetry Out Loud State Finals @ Utah Arts & Museums (Black Box Theatre: March 12)

Poetry Out Loud State Finals on March 12, 2013

Students compete to represent Utah at national poetry competition

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Arts & Museums announces the state finals for Poetry Out Loud, the national poetry recitation competition. The state finals will be held on March 12, 2013, at 7 p.m. at the Black Box Theatre in the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. The Poetry Out Loud Utah state finals event is free and open to the public. The champion will go to Washington, D.C., April 29th to represent Utah in the national finals and compete to win a $20,000 scholarship.

Approximately 3,549 students from 26 high schools around the state participated in Poetry Out Loud activities (some schools included the entire student body) and competed in school and regional competitions. Due to an increase in participation this year, regional competitions were added. Regional competitions were held in the Uintah Basin, Iron County, Utah County, Sanpete County, and the southern end of Salt Lake County. Schools unable to participate in a regional competition will compete in a preliminary competition held in the afternoon prior to the state finals.

At the Black Box Theatre, students will recite works they selected from an anthology of nearly 600 classic and contemporary poems. Students from the following schools will compete in the finals:

Union High School (Roosevelt)

Lehi High School (Lehi)

Hurricane High School (Hurricane)

North Sanpete High School (Mt. Pleasant)

West Jordan High School (West Jordan)

Winner from preliminary competition held earlier that afternoon

“These exceptional students who engage in Poetry Out Loud really connect with the poetry and get a chance to improve their public-speaking skills,” said Margaret Hunt, Utah Arts & Museums Director. “The final state competition is a thrilling evening, and the state champion also honors us with a recitation at the Mountain West Arts Conference and Governor’s Leadership in the Arts Awards in May.”

Utah has had four finalists in the national top ten. Last year, senior MarKaye Hassan of Logan High School took third place in the national finals. She competed against 53 state champions. Of those champions, nine finalists competed in the finals. Hassan received the third-place prize and a $5,000 award. She was also invited to return to Washington, D.C., to recite at the National Book Festival. In 2008, Skyline High School senior Madison Niermeyer also placed third at the national competition and received a $5,000 scholarship award. Niermeyer was contacted by noted Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti to congratulate her on her recitation of his poem I Am Waiting.

Poetry Out Loud, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers across the nation by capitalizing on trends in poetry recitation and performance. The program builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, the spoken word, and theatre into the English classroom. Through Poetry Out Loud, students master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

About Utah Arts & Museums

Utah Arts & Museums is a division of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts with a goal to promote innovation in and the growth of Utah’s arts and culture community. The division provides funding, education, and technical services to individuals and organizations statewide so that all Utahns, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or economic status, can access, understand, and receive the benefits of arts and culture. Additional information on the programs and services can be found at artsandmuseums.utah.gov or by calling 801.236.7555.

About Poetry Out Loud

The National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation and state arts agencies work together to bring Poetry Out Loud to high schools across the United States. After successful pilot programs in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, the second phase of Poetry Out Loud was launched nationwide in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. More information about Poetry Out Loud can be found at www.poetryoutloud.org.