Mississippi Arts Commission: News

Mississippi Arts Commission presents Poetry Out Loud State Competition

DATE:            Marck 6, 2008

CONTACT:     Susan Dobbs, MAC Public Relations Director, 601/359-6030, sdobbs@arts.state.ms.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

JACKSON -

The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) announces the third annual state finals for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest.  The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition.  On Friday, March 7, 2008 at 1:00pm, students from across the state will participate in the Poetry Out Loud state finals at New Stage Theatre in Jackson.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country.  Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to regional semi-finals, then to the state competition, and ultimately advance to the National Finals in Washington, DC.  More than 150,000 students across the country are expected to take part in Poetry Out Loud this year.

 At the state finals, contestants will recite works selected from an anthology of more than 500 classic and contemporary poems.  Students participating in the Poetry Out Loud program have benefited from educational materials created by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation.  These materials include a standards-based teacher’s guide, a comprehensive website, and a CD featuring poetry recitations by well-known actors and writers such as Anthony Hopkins, Alyssa Milano, N. Scott Momaday and Rita Dove.

“The interest in this program has grown so much that for the first time we had to plan three semi-final rounds held across the state,” states Kim Whitt, Arts in Education Director for the Mississippi Arts Commission.  “This year we enhanced our assistance to students and teachers by holding workshops to help them prepare for the state-wide competition.  Due to the increased participation and greater preparation we are expecting an outstanding state finals competition.”

The winner of the Poetry Out Loud Mississippi finals will receive $200, and the winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books.  The second place finalist will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library.  The state champion of the Poetry Out Loud Mississippi final will receive an all expenses-paid trip (with a chaperone) to compete in the National Finals in Washington, DC, on April 28-29, 2008.  The Poetry Out Loud National Finals will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends, with a $20,000 college scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

The Poetry Out Loud Mississippi finals will take place on Friday, March 7th at 1:00 pm at New Stage Theatre in Jackson.  The keynote speaker for the event will be poet Beth Ann Fennelly.  In 2003, she was among thirty-eight writers out of 1600 applicants to receive an arts grant from the NEA, hers being a notable Creative Writing Fellowship in Poetry. Her book Open House won the 2001 Kenyon Review Prize for a first book and the GLCA New Writers Award. Her most recent book of poetry, Tender Hooks, focuses on motherhood from different angles, inspired by her daughter Claire.  Fennelly is an assistant professor of English at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.  The emcee for this year’s event will be Byron Brown, evening news anchor with WJTV News Channel 12.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts by bringing arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education.  Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture.  One of the largest literary organizations in the world, it exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience.

The Mississippi Arts Commission is a state agency, funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Wallace Foundation, The Phil Hardin Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, Donna and Jim Barksdale and other private sources.  MAC is the official grants-making and service agency for the arts in Mississippi. The agency serves as an active supporter and promoter of arts in community life and in arts education.

The event is free and open to the public.   For more information contact Kim Whitt at 601/359-6037 or at kwhitt@arts.state.ms.us.

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