Award-winning playwright Anna Deavere Smith to host National Finals
Join Poetry Out Loud online via live webcast, viewing parties, and social media
WASHINGTON,
DC - At the end of National Poetry Month, 53 students from across the
country will converge in Washington, DC, on April 29-30, 2013 to
compete in the National Finals of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation
Contest, the nation´s largest youth poetry recitation competition. These
young competitors advanced from a field of some 375,000 students who
tested their skills in poetry recitation in more than 2,000 schools
nationwide. The top finalists and their schools will receive $50,000 in
awards. Anna Deavere Smith, the award-winning playwright, actress, and
recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship Award, will host the Tuesday evening
finals. Guest judges for the National Finals are poets Patricia Smith
and Eduardo Corral, BBC Correspondent Jane O'Brien, and Tree Swenson,
executive director of the Richard Hugo House in Seattle, Washington.
Now
in its eighth year of national competition, Poetry Out Loud is a
partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry
Foundation. The program encourages the study of great poetry by offering
educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high
school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud gives students an
opportunity to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and
learn about their literary heritage.
The
53 champions will gather at the Poetry Out Loud semifinals on Monday,
April 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Lisner Auditorium at The George
Washington University, 730 21st Street NW, Washington, DC. Nine
finalists will advance to the National Finals, also held at Lisner
Auditorium, on Tuesday, April 30, from 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. Both events
are free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are
required.
"Since
the first national Poetry Out Loud contest in 2006, more than two
million high school students, and tens of thousands of teachers at
thousands of high schools have taken this program and made it their
own," said NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa. "We are delighted to work
in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, with state arts agencies,
local arts organizations, schools, and teachers to help students
discover the art of poetry."
"The
national recitation program brings fresh energy to an ancient art form
by returning it to the classrooms of America," said John Barr, president
of the Poetry Foundation. " Once memorized by these students, great
poems become their friends for life."
Judges
for the semifinal rounds include poets Reginald Dwayne Betts, Fady
Joudah, and Simone Muench; Pink Line Project founder Philippa Hughes;
Kevin Dyels of First Chair Interpreted Productions, LLC ; Robert Casper
of the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress; Cave
Canem Foundation Executive Director Alison Meyers, Barrelhouse Poetry
Editor Dan Brady, NPR Senior Producer Elizabeth Blair, and Andy
Shallal, proprietor of the Busboys and Poets restaurant chain.
Poetry Out Loud goes multimedia with a live webcast and viewing parties
Not in Washington, DC but still want to catch the competition? You can watch the entire semifinals and finals through a live, one-time only webcast at www.arts.gov. Or make plans now to gather fellow poetry fans and host a Poetry Out Loud Webcast Viewing Party. Register here and find tips on hosting your party, promotional materials, and details on other viewing parties around the country.
We´re
also taking Poetry Out Loud online on Twitter at @PoetryOutLoud and
@NEAarts, hashtag #POL13. For more information on the event, webcast, or
viewing parties, visit arts.gov or call 202-682-5606.
Poetry Out Loud Partnerships
The
National Finals are the culmination of efforts by many partners. As
national partners, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation have contributed
support for administration of the program, educational materials, and
awards for both the state and national finals. State arts agencies have
implemented the program in high schools nationwide and organized state
competitions, often in collaboration with local arts organizations. The
Poetry Out Loud National Finals are administered by Mid Atlantic Arts
Foundation.
Schools
interested in registering for the 2013-2014 Poetry Out Loud contest
should contact their state arts agency. More information is available at www.poetryoutloud.org.
Educational Materials
The
NEA and the Poetry Foundation provide free, standards-based curriculum
materials for Poetry Out Loud, which include poetry anthologies
containing more than 650 classic and contemporary poems, a teacher´s
guide, video footage of performances from the National Finals, and audio
tracks about the art of recitation. Schools are welcome to download
these resources at www.poetryoutloud.org.
Contests and Awards
Using
a pyramid structure, Poetry Out Loud started with classroom and
schoolwide activities and contests between September 2012 and February
2013. State contests were held by mid-March; the 53 champions of
contests in every state, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and
Washington, DC compete at the National Finals. The Poetry Out Loud
National Finals will present a total of $50,000 in awards and school
stipends for the purchase of poetry books. Awards include $20,000 for
the Poetry Out Loud National Champion, and $10,000 and $5,000 for the
second- and third-place finalists. At the state-level finals the
champion, runner up, and their schools received $1,000 in cash awards.
In total, Poetry Out Loud will award more than $100,000 to state- and
national-level winners.
About Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
Mid
Atlantic Arts Foundation develops partnerships and programs that
reinforce artists´ capacity to create and present work, advance access
to and participation in the arts, and promote a more sustainable arts
ecology.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The
National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as
an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has
awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity,
and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA
extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local
leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join
the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA atwww.arts.gov.
About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine,
is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous
presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate
the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience.
The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive
climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for
delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative
partnerships, prizes, and programs.
Sally Gifford | Public Affairs Specialist | National Endowment for the Arts
giffords@arts.gov | 202-682-5606
URL - www.arts.gov
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