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Poetry Recitation Competition Gives High School Students a Voice

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Atlanta History Center Hosts Regional and State Poetry Out Loud Competitions

Poetry Out Loud is an innovative program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance of the written word. It incorporates the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into English and drama classes. Poetry Out Loud, which began in 2005, helps students improve public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about the role great poetry plays in literature.

In partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and Georgia Council for the Arts, the Margaret Mitchell House (Atlanta History Center’s Midtown campus) administers Poetry Out Loud for the state of Georgia.

Functioning much like a spelling bee, the Poetry Out Loud competition uses a pyramid structure that begins in the classroom. Winners of each classroom recitation competition advance to a school-wide contest, then each school’s top winner goes to a semi-final competition.

Semi-final competitions take place locally in February 2015. Finalists from these semi-final competitions will advance to compete in a regional competition. Finalists from each regional competition will be selected to advance on to State competition. Finally, one Georgia winner will compete at the National Final in Washington, D.C.

Upcoming Competition Dates: 

  • Saturday, February 7, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm - North Georgia Regional Competition, Woodstock High School  (Woodstock, GA); 14 regional competitors contend to be one of 3 winners to advance to State Competition
  • Saturday, February 14, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm - Metro Atlanta Regional Competition, Atlanta History Center, Woodruff Auditorium  (Atlanta, GA); 18 regional competitors contend to be one of 4 winners to advance to State Competition
  • Saturday, February 21, 2015 at from 1:00 – 3:00 pm -  Middle Georgia Regional Competition, Howard High School (Macon, GA); 14 regional competitors contend to be one of 3 winners to advance to State Competition
  • Saturday, February 28, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm - South Georgia Regional Competition, Woodville Thompkins High School (Savannah, GA); 9 regional competitors contend to be one of 2 winners to advance to State Competition

State Competition:

  • Sunday, March 15, 2015 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm - State Competition, Atlanta History Center, Woodruff Auditorium (Atlanta, GA)

Twelve competitors contend to win and advance to the National Final in Washington, D.C.  During the competition there will also be a poetry showcase in which judges and local poets will recite their own work. Highlights of the showcase include an interpretive performance of Robert Frost’s Home Burial by Lindsey and Bliss Foster, and a musical performance by Kate Kovach.

National Competition:

  • April 27 - 29, 2015 : National Finals, Washington, D.C. - Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University

The winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington D.C. to compete for the national championship. The state winner's school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for his or her school library. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends is awarded annually at the National Finals, with one winner taking home a college scholarship for $20,000.

Interested in Participating Next Year?

If your school would like to get involved next year, we need to hear from you as soon as possible. For a high school to participate, one point person, or "school coordinator," at that location must commit to be the liaison between the high school and the state coordinator. To get involved next year, contact Emily Reece at EReece@AtlantaHistoryCenter.com or 404.814.4017. 

Program Materials:

Curriculum materials include a teacher’s guide to help instructors teach recitation and performance, a print and online poetry anthology, an audio CD demonstrating spoken word through use of famous actors and writers, and a “Learning Recitation” DVD. All of these items are provided free to participating schools.

For more information about the Poetry Out Loud initiative, please visit online at MargaretMitchellHouse.com.

Tags:

competition POL National Endowment for the Arts Atlanta History Center Poetry Out Loud Georgia Council for the Arts High School Competition Recitation

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