PALM BEACH POETRY FESTIVAL Launches 8th Annual Poetry Contest

PALM BEACH POETRY FESTIVAL Launches 8th Annual Poetry Contest for Local High School Students

Deadline to Enter is December 2, 2011 

Miles Coon, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, and Blaise Allen, Ph.D., the Festival's Director of Community Outreach, announced the launch of the eighth annual High School Poetry Contest.  

Between October 10 and December 2, any Palm Beach County public or private high school student can submit one original poem (30 lines maximum) for consideration. The winning poet will receive $100 and a pair of tickets to the eighth annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, which will be held next January 17-21 at Old School Square in Delray Beach. 

The four runner-up high school poets will each receive $25 and a pair of tickets to the Coffeehouse Performance Event on January 21. 

In addition, all of the prize-winning poems will be posted on the Festival's website (www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org)  along with a YouTube video of the high school poets reading their poems (if they are willing). 

Once again, the judge for the annual High School Poetry Contest will be Dr. Jeff Morgan of Lynn University's Department of English. More than 200 poems were submitted last year and the first place prize went to Kristie Liebel, a junior at Boca Raton Community High School. 

Original poems should be submitted by email between October 10 and December 2 to: PBPFHSPCdrallen@aol.com. For contest rules, please visit www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.  

About the Palm Beach Poetry Festival 2012:

Eight faculty poets, a special guest poet and two performance poets will be featured at 11 ticketed public events, January 16-21, including readings, talks and a lively panel discussion. In addition, the workshop participants will read at three late-night open mics, free to the public. For a complete list of the public events, refer to www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.  

Tickets will go on sale to the public later this year through the festival website and at the Crest Theatre Box Office at Old School Square. General Admission ticket prices per event are $12/adult, $10/senior and $8/student. Special student group rates are available. 

The Palm Beach Poetry Festival is generously sponsored by Morgan Stanley, Smith Barney, the Windler Group of Morgan Stanley, and Smith Barney's Atlanta Office; the Palm Beach County Cultural Council and the Board of Commissioners of Palm Beach County; The Palm Beach Post, WXEL-TV42, WPBI-FM (Classical South Florida Radio), and Murder on the Beach, Delray Beach's independent bookseller. All events take place in the Crest Theatre and Vintage Gymnasium of Old School Square in Delray Beach. The 7th Annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival was underwritten, in part, by an Arts Challenge Grant in 2010 from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

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