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Arts Council
Kentucky High Schools Have Opportunity to Compete in National Poetry Recitation Contest
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Arts Council will once again coordinate the state competition for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure that begins at the classroom level. Winners advance to the school-wide competition, then to the state competition and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, D.C.
The Kentucky Arts Council will accept 20 applications from Kentucky High Schools to participate in this program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. The winner from each school will participate in the statewide competition in Frankfort on March 13, 2007. The state winner will receive $200 and an all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC to compete in the National Finals and his or her school will receive a $500 stipend to purchase poetry books.
Last year’s Kentucky winner, Kendra Holloway of Christian County High School, became a national finalist and will be returning to Washington D.C. on September 30th to recite poetry in the Poetry Pavilion of the National Book Festival organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress.
Applications have been mailed to Kentucky High School principals and the first 20 schools to return a correctly completed application by mail will be selected to participate. Participating schools will be announced in early October.
For additional information about the Kentucky Poetry Out Loud competition, contact John S. Benjamin, Arts in Education Director, Kentucky Arts Council at John.Benjamin@ky.gov.
For a general overview of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, go to: www.poetryoutloud.org.
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The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet. Working in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Council invests in programs that develop vibrant communities, provide lifelong education in the arts and support arts participation. Every $1 in grant funds awarded by the Kentucky Arts Council helps grantees secure $15 in earned income and matching funds from individuals, philanthropic sources and other levels of government.
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