New York—The New York State Council on the Arts, in partnership with Teachers & Writers Collaborative, will present the statewide finals of the Poetry Out Loud competition on March 8 at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Poetry Out Loud is a national contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Poetry Foundation and state arts agencies that encourages young people to learn about great poetry through recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. This year marks the first time the state finals of the competition will be held in New York City.

“Poetry Out Loud demonstrates the essential role the arts play in our education by building skills that serve students throughout their lives,” said NYSCA Executive Director Mara Manus. “Through study and performance, participants develop effective communication, creativity and empathy, as well as an appreciation for literature. We are grateful to our partners for this collaborative opportunity which underscores NYSCA’s commitment to lifelong learning through the arts and culture.”

Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid competition structure that starts at the classroom level. Students memorize and recite three poems chosen from an online poetry anthology and are judged in a variety of categories. In New York, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to a regional competition, a state competition, and ultimately the National Finals, which will take place April 29 through May 1 in Washington, D.C.

The winner of the Poetry Out Loud New York finals will receive $200, and the winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The state champion of the Poetry Out Loud New York final will receive an all-expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to compete in the national finals in Washington, DC, on April 30–May 1, 2019. The Poetry Out Loud national finals will present a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends, with 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.

The state finals will begin at 1:00 PM on March 8 in the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre and are free and open to the public.

NYSCA has participated in Poetry Out Loud since its inception in 2005 with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Through NYSCA’s Arts Education Program, Teachers & Writers administers the state competition in partnership with the State University of New York and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

“Reciting poetry allows students to more fully immerse themselves in a poem and understand it in new ways,” said Mary Anne Carter, National Endowment for the Arts 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.”

“Teachers & Writers Collaborative is delighted to welcome 22 students from across the state to New York City. We are grateful to our partners at SUNY and FIT, who have generously hosted regional Poetry Out Loud competitions since 2014, as well as this year's state final,” said Amy Swauger, Executive Director, Teachers & Writers Collaborative. “The event is a wonderful chance to be inspired by the competitors' love of poetry and performance, and to be exposed to wonderful work by both classic and contemporary poets.”

"FIT is a proud, long-standing supporter of Poetry Out Loud, and is pleased to host this year's competition, said Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT.  "It is a competition that nurtures the love of language in students and teaches them about their literary heritage---all of which expands their horizons in ways that will benefit them for the rest of their lives."

About The New York State Council on the Arts
 
The New York State Council on the Arts champions community and creativity by preserving and advancing numerous aspects of the cultural heritage that makes New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit.

NYSCA upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development and quality of life. Through the agency's core grantmaking activity, NYSCA awarded $51M in FY2019 to 2,400 organizations statewide through direct grants and regrants in our 15 programs, the Regional Economic Development Council initiative and the Mid-Size Capital Project Fund. NYSCA funding supports the visual, literary, media and performing arts and includes dedicated support for arts education and underserved communities. NYSCA further advances New York's creative culture by hosting convenings with leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources.

Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960, and continued and expanded to the present day with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency of the Executive Branch of the New York State Government. For more information on NYSCA, please visit: www.arts.ny.gov.  

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit arts.gov.

About the Poetry Foundation

The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative partnerships, prizes, and programs. For more information, visit poetryfoundation.org.