Hawaii State Foundation On Culture & The Arts & Honolulu Theatre For Youth Announces 2018-19 Poetry Out Loud

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, in partnership with the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and Honolulu Theatre for Youth. Poetry Out Loud is a program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry-both classic and contemporary-through memorization, performance, and competition.

During the fall and winter school season, September 2018 - January 2019, schools are invited to participate in classroom and school wide contests, advancing to a state competition on Sunday February 24, 2019. State champions will advance to the national finals, to take place on April 30-May 1, 2019, in Washington, DC.

For the third year in a row, Nicholas Amador from Punahou School was selected as the 2018 Hawaii Poetry Out Loud champion and represented the state in the 2018 national finals in Washington, DC, last April, placing second nationally two years in a row. The first year Nicholas participated in Poetry Out Loud, he placed third nationally. More than 300,000 students from 2,300 high schools took part in the 2017-2018 Poetry Out Loud program.

The program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud helps students to develop analytical and public speaking skills, while building self-confidence.

"Reciting poetry allows students to more fully immerse themselves in a poem and understand it in new ways," said Mary Anne Carter, NEA acting chairman. "The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to join the Poetry Foundation and our state partners to provide this opportunity for students nationwide."

"In today's tumultuous world, poetry is a space for youth to find and use their voice in a powerful way," said Poetry Foundation President Henry Bienen. "Students involved in Poetry Out Loud spend time with the poems they recite, learning to see them from many angles. That deepened connection makes poetry an extension of young people's lives and experiences that they are eager to share."

Additionally, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation provide free, standards-based curriculum materials which teachers may use in their classrooms, including an online poetry anthology containing more than 900 classic and contemporary poems, a teacher's guide, lesson plans, posters, and video and audio on the art of recitation. Schools are welcome to download these resources at poetryoutloud.org.

How to get involved in Poetry Out Loud

High schools that wish to be part of the official Poetry Out Loud program must contact Honolulu Theatre for Youth to participate. Honolulu Theatre for Youth will work with interested schools to include them in the official Poetry Out Loud program. Schools that are not in the official program may conduct their own contests using the online resources. Contact Kasey Lindley at (808) 839-9885 extension 704 or visit poetryoutloud.org for more information.

Poetry Out Loud awards

Each state champion will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete for the national championship. The state champion's school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. Poetry Out Loud will award a total of $50,000 in cash and school stipends at the national finals, including a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded and travel arrangements for Poetry Out Loud.

For further information on Poetry Out Loud, visit poetryoutloud.org.

Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts

The mission of the HSFCA is to promote, perpetuate, preserve, and encourage culture and the arts as central to the quality of life of the people of Hawai'i. www.sfc.hawaii.gov

About Honolulu Theatre for Youth

Honolulu Theatre for Youth is Hawaii's non-profit professional theatre company providing theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of Hawaii's young people and families. Founded in 1955, HTY is recognized the world over as one of America's most honored theatres. Explore HTY on the web at www.htyweb.org.

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