Mississippi Arts Commission: News

Student From Water Valley High School Wins Poetry Out Loud State Finals

DATE:          March 17, 2009 

CONTACT:    Susan Dobbs, MAC Public Relations Director

601/359-6031, sdobbs@arts.state.ms.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

JACKSON— The Mississippi Arts Commission is proud to announce that Shaniqua Wesley from Water Valley High School was the winner of the State Finals of the 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 to encourage high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Shaniqua will be representing Mississippi at the National Finals in Washington D.C. on April  27-29, 2009.

     Shaniqua performed outstanding recitations of “Advice to a Prophet” by Richard Wilbur and “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden, at the statewide competition held on Friday, March 13, 2009 at Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson.  In the final round, Shaniqua recited “It was not death, for I stood up” by  Emily Dickinson.  Shaniqua, a senior at Water Valley High School, is a National Merit Science Scholar.  She is an accomplished poet and enjoys acting.  She plans to attend the University of Mississippi with a major in psychology and minor in theatrical arts.

     The runner-up this year was Millicent Kennedy, a senior at Mississippi School for the Arts in Brookhaven.  Millicent recited and “I go Back to May 1937,” by Sharon Olds  and “Conversation,” by Ai .  In the final round Millicent recited “Ozymandias,” by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Millicent, a visual arts major, enjoys reading and writing 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, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, The Phil Hardin Foundation, Donna & Jim Barksdale, The Mississippi Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson 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.

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