Skip navigation

Send this site to a friend

Arts Commission News

Mississippi Arts Commission Announces  2007 Poetry Out Loud Contest

DATE:              August 16, 2006

CONTACT:     Susan Dobbs, Public Relations Director                                       601-359-6031 or sdobbs@arts.state.ms.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

JACKSON— The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is pleased to announce they will once again partner with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation to coordinate and host the Poetry Out Loud Recitation Contest for Mississippi high school students.   The program encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance, which help students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

 Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the mastery of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic competition to high schools across the country.  School-level recitation champions advance to the state and national levels. In 2006, Poetry Out Loud awarded over $100,000 in prizes to students and schools at the state and national levels.

 “The Mississippi Arts Commission is delighted to have the opportunity to be a part of this program again,” said Malcolm White, Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. “With a documented decline in literary reading among young people, it is encouraging to see high school students from across the State excited about reciting poetry.”

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, 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 funding organization of the arts.

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 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.

###

 

« Back to headlines