What is Poetry Out Loud?
Poetry Out Loud (POL), an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Students in grades 9 – 12 memorize and recite poems in local, regional and state competitions.
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington DC 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.
Teachers & Writers Collaborative manages the Poetry Out Loud in New York State.
NYS Poetry Out Loud: Get involved!
Are you a teacher or community leader interested in bringing Poetry Out Loud to your community? Get started by registering with us. You need to register at least two students to participate in the national Poetry Out Loud program. Individual or groups of teachers, a school club, the entire school, or an out-of-school program for high school-aged individuals may participate.
The registration deadline for Poetry Out Loud 2020 is December 1, 2019.
Teachers & Writers Magazine is published by Teachers & Writers Collaborative as a resource for teaching the art of writing to people of all ages. The online magazine presents a wide range of ideas and approaches, as well as lively explorations of T&W’s mission to celebrate the imagination and create greater equity in and through the literary arts.
