"Poetry is not just about the words…it will change you."*
Poetry Out Loud is the national recitation contest that encourages high school students across the country to learn about great works of classic and contemporary poetry through memorization and recitation. Not only do they share their interpretation and delivery of poetry, but they vie for awards and scholarships totaling $50,000.
Last year, New Jersey Poetry Out Loud saw record participation with 123 high schools and 20,000 students reading and reciting poetry. Moreover, 2013 NJPOL State Champion Kavita Oza was also one of only nine National Finalists in the POL National Finals.
Can you picture your child participating in this rich educational experience with other students from across the nation?
Get their school involved!
All schools follow the same “poetry bee-style” contest structure, which begins at the classroom level. Classroom winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional competition, followed by the NJPOL State Finals in March 2014. The NJPOL State Champion will win an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Finals in spring 2014.
All New Jersey public, charter, private and parochial high schools and home school associations are invited to participate. Participating students should be in grades 9-12 or the age/grade equivalent.
Register by November 15, 2013! For complete details, visit JerseyArts.com/POL.
*Quote: Shamsuddin Abdul Hamid, 2010 NJPOL State champion.
Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies of the United States. In New Jersey, this program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Support for the program is also provided by Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and the ArtPride New Jersey Foundation
