2012–13 N.H. Poetry Out Loud registration open

[Parenting NH Administrator]

Registration is open for New Hampshire high schools wishing to participate in the 2012–13 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud competition.

Poetry Out Loud, a nationwide program of the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with the Poetry Foundation, encourages youth to learn about the beauty and power of language through memorization and performance of great poems. The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage.

Now in its eighth year, New Hampshire’s Poetry Out Loud program is managed by the N.H. State Council on the Arts in partnership with the New Hampshire Writers Project. Other partners include the Poetry Society of New Hampshire, the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire and the Frost Place.

Poetry Out Loud competitors memorize and recite poems from a collection selected by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to represent the breadth of great poetry. Participants are judged on the quality of their presentation, accuracy in reciting their poem and the poem’s difficulty.

In New Hampshire, classroom champions compete to represent their high school, high school champions go on to compete at regional competitions, and regional winners then participate in the March 2013 state championship in Representatives Hall at the New Hampshire State House in Concord. The culmination of New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud is when our state champion joins champions from all 50 states in Washington, D.C. for the national finals, where more than $50,000 in college scholarships and prizes are awarded to the top finishers. Funding for the Washington trip is covered by the Poetry Foundation.

The New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud competition is open to the first 40 high schools that register. Homeschooled students are also welcome to join through their local high school or by creating a regional group.

The deadline to register is Nov. 1, 2012. To learn more and to register, go to www.nh.gov/nharts and click on the “Poetry Out Loud” button on the right.

New Hampshire educators interested in having their school participate in the 2012–13 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud competition and who have questions should contact Catherine O’Brian at 271-0795 or [e-mail].