Poetry Out Loud

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All Maine High Schools Welcome to Participate in National Poetry Recitation Contest

Augusta, ME—The Maine Arts Commission is pleased to announce that online registration is now open for all Maine high schools to participate quickly and easily in Poetry Out Loud 2016-2017, a national competition organized by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and administered at the state level by the Arts Commission. The deadline for registration at http://bit.do/MaineArts_POLRegister is November 7, 2016.

The Poetry Out Loud state champion earns $200 and an all-expenses paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national finals. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The National Endowment for the Arts will award $50,000 total in cash and school stipends at the national finals, with a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

Maine’s 2016 Poetry Out Loud Champion Rose Horowitz of Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, who also took first place nationally in a new opportunity for the finalists to showcase their original poetry through an optional competition called Poetry Ourselves, shown here with National Endowment for the Arts chair Jane Chu at the competition finals in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy Maine Arts Commission.

Poetry Out Loud begins at the local level, and can take place in schools anytime between now and January 9, 2017 as the program does not require full class periods and can be completed in just two to three weeks. Almost 10,000 Maine students and 220 teachers from 45 high schools across the state participated in Poetry Out Loud in 2015-2016, mastering public-speaking skills, building self-confidence, and learning about their literary heritage. The program encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Since Poetry Out Loud began, millions of students at more than 7,300 schools nationwide have been involved. Starting at the classroom level, teachers are provided with free multimedia curriculum materials – a Learning Recitation audio guide, a teacher’s guide, posters and comprehensive website, http://www.poetryoutloud.org, all aligned to national standards – to augment their regular poetry curriculum with poetry recitation at a school-level, then district-level competition.

“Poetry Out Loud is one of many examples of high-quality, partnership-based programs that the NEA offers to schools and communities across the country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “By helping students foster creative thinking skills and inspire self-expression, we are laying a foundation for lifelong learning in the arts.”

To learn more about Poetry out Loud in Maine, see the promotional national videos “Get involved in POL!” and “Why Poetry Out Loud?” as well as a short video highlighting the 2015 Maine State Finals. In addition, Poetry Out Loud is aligned with both the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Standards and Common Core State Standards: learn more at www.poetryoutloud.org/teaching-resources/ncte-english-teaching-standards.

The Maine Arts Commission believes that the arts are an essential part of a well-rounded education. Through its Arts Education program, the Commission creates and supports innovative arts learning opportunities that engage both students and teachers in creative thinking, arts participation and the building of vibrant learning communities. Please visit mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/Arts-in-Education to find more information about the benefits of Poetry Out Loud, as well as information on all educational programming offered by the Maine Arts Commission.

Additional information on Poetry Out Loud is available at http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/POL-Home, or by contacting Argy Nestor, Maine Arts Commission Director of Arts Education at argy.nestor@maine.gov or 207-287-2713.

The Maine Arts Commission shall encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; shall expand the state’s cultural resources; and shall encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.

Rose’s Poem

Rose Horowitz – Maine’s POL champ

In honor of the NEA’s 50th anniversary, this year the 53 state Poetry Out Loud champions competing at the National Finals were offered another opportunity to showcase their creativity through an optional competition called Poetry Ourselves. The teens were encouraged to submit an original work of poetry in two categories–written poems or spoken word–both of which were judged by noted poet Patricia Smith. Rose Horowitz of Maine placed first in the written category, while second place went to Hunter Hazelton of Arizona. In the spoken category, top honors went to Maddie Lukomski of South Dakota, with Madison Heggins of Texas earning second place.

Rose’s Poem: Mythomania – Compulsive Lies

In the Spring, before the winter meltwater came raging down from the mountains, she built a dam out of pencils and torn book pages, mortar ground from watermelon seeds and feather down, fortifying her heart against the river of words,

so when swelled and bloated with Spring, clawing, writhing from its rocky resting place like a wild beast, crazed, seeking warmth, the flood might be stopped by her nest of childhood memories and future hopes.

Curled in the corner of a crystal library, flashlight in one hand, journal in the other, she wrote secrets dripping down the sharp point of a quill, in spiraling, wandering text squeezed from lemon juice, so only she would know they were there.

Yet day after day, year after year, the diary was filled with words, slicing through the paper like knives, until the fine strokes overflowed and escaped on the wind––on feather down they drifted away: downstream, or skyward.

Weakened, the dam was bent and broken by the mountain animals, with terrible ease.
Gravity won, such is the way of erosion, and more words, and more water, wished to follow with that same, crippling confidence.

Rotten pages, weeded from gardens of goldfish; gold leaf, flaked away from the library ceiling; lemon juice, fresh-squeezed into long curling lines of type; absentmindedly forgotten, melted on the heater; all converging in the tumble down the mountain.

So she stood still, frozen, shocked––gasping, mouth opening and closing silently, a gutted goldfish––as words were torn from her throat: uncontrollably, unstoppably, in an acrid burning steam, as the water embraced her earth in its gaping maw.

Sinking deep in the frigid water, birds long gone as the islands faded from sight, tears bubbling and frothing around her, she searched for the shore of a never-ending sea. The stars rose, pinwheeling up in reverse snowfall as the pale sky dip dyed itself black, wet silk into spilt oil.

She turned her face skyward, gazed at the stars, and felt the surge and ebb of tides; promises dancing behind closed lips; eyes meeting in a split second of connection, if not understanding; as the water rose around her, in undulating waves––fearless, without hesitation.

Maine’s 2016 POL finalists

The Poetry Out Loud program is organized nationally by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and administered at the state level by the Maine Arts Commission. It begins in Maine’s schools where school champions are selected to compete in two regional finals at which ten students are ultimately selected to recite at the state finals. One student, the state champion, moves on from the state finals to represent Maine at the national finals in Washington D.C., where students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico will compete for a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends for the purchase of poetry books. Information about the program for the 2016-17 school year will be available in September.

In Today’s News

Congratulations Rose – Maine’s 2016 State POL Champ

Press Release
Subject: Announcing the 2016 Poetry Out Loud National Champion

Last night, May 4, 2016, Akhei Togun, age 17, a senior at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach, VA won the title of 2016 Poetry Out Loud National Champion. Togun won the final round with “Bereavement,” by William Lisle Bowles.

The second-place winner was Marta Palombo, 18, a senior at Cambridge High School in Alpharetta, Georgia.  The third-place winner was Nicholas Amador, age 15, a sophomore at Punahou High School in Honolulu, HI.

Students and schools received $50,000 in awards and school stipends at the National Finals, including $20,000 for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion, and $10,000 and $5,000 for the second- and third-place finalists. The fourth- to ninth-place finalists each received $1,000. The schools of the top nine finalists received $500 for the purchase of poetry books.

In honor of the NEA’s 50th anniversary, this year the 53 state champions competing at the National Finals were offered another opportunity to showcase their creativity through an optional competition called Poetry Ourselves. The teens were encouraged to submit an original work of poetry in two categories–written poems or spoken word–both of which were judged by noted poet Patricia Smith. Rose Horowitz of Maine placed first in the written category, while second place went to Hunter Hazelton of Arizona. In the spoken category, top honors went to Maddie Lukomski of South Dakota, with Madison Heggins of Texas earning second place.

Now celebrating its eleventh year of national competition, Poetry Out Loud is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country. The Poetry Out Loud National Finals are the culmination of a yearlong poetry education program involving some 317,000 students from more than 2,300 high schools around the country.  High school teachers who want to learn how to get involved in next year’s program can visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

Read more about the 2016 Poetry Out Loud National Finals at the NEA Art Works blog.

Photos and video of the nine finalists from the May 3 semifinals and May 4 finals are available at this link.

Poetry Out Loud State Finals

March 15, 3:00 PM, Waterville Opera House

THE MAINE ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES POETRY OUT LOUD STATE FINALS
Maine High School Students Compete in National Poetry Recitation Contest

Augusta, ME—The Maine Arts Commission is presenting the 2016 Maine State Finals for Poetry Out Loud, a National Poetry Recitation Contest, on March 15 at 3 p.m. at the Waterville Opera House. The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is free and open to the public. Jennifer Rooks, MPBN’s Public Affairs Host, will be the emcee. Doors open to the public at 2:30 p.m. and no tickets are required.

Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Since Poetry Out Loud began, millions of students at more than 7,300 schools nationwide have been involved. This school year, almost 10,000 Maine students have participated in the program, providing them with an opportunity to master public-speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

“Poetry Out Loud is one of many examples of high-quality, partnership-based programs that the NEA offers to schools and communities across the country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “By helping students foster creative thinking skills and inspire self-expression, we are laying a foundation for lifelong learning in the arts.”

Poetry Out Loud is organized by the NEA and the Poetry Foundation, and is administered at the state level by the Maine Arts Commission. It began this year in Maine’s high schools where each school selected a champion to compete in a regional competition. From the two regional finals, 10 students were selected to compete in the State Finals. One student will move on from the State Finals to represent Maine at the National Finals in Washington D.C., where students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico will compete for a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends for the purchase of poetry books.

Congratulations to the following students who will participate in the Maine State Finals at the Waterville Opera House:
•  Lydia Caron, Bangor High School
•  Morgan Steward, Carrabec High School
•  Shiloh Munsen, Freeport High School
•  Charlotte Benoit, Greely High School
•  Danielle Barrett, Hampden Academy
•  Sylvia Holland, Maine Coast Waldorf School
•  Rose Horowitz, Mt. Ararat High School
•  Owen Sinclair, Rangeley Lakes Regional School
•  Anna Bucklin, Searsport District High School
•  Ben Millspaugh, Waynflete School

For more information, please visit http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/POL-Home or contact Argy Nestor, Maine Arts Commission Director of Arts Education at argy.nestor@maine.gov or 207-287-2713.

The Maine Arts Commission shall encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; shall expand the state’s cultural resources; and shall encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.

Southern Region State Finalists left to right: Charlotte Benoit, Greely High School; Rose Horowitz, Mt. Ararat High School; Ben Millspaugh, Waynflete School; Sylvia Holland, Maine Coast Waldorf School; Shilo Munsen, Freeport High School

Northern Region State Finalists left to right: Lydia Caron, Bangor High School; Morgan Steward, Carrabec High School; Danielle Barrett, Hampden Academy; Owen Sinclair, Rangeley Lakes Regional School; Anna Bucklin, Searsport District High School

Poetry Out Loud Champ

Rose Horowitz is the Poetry Out Loud Maine State Champion

Rose Horowitz reciting

Augusta – Rose Horowitz, an 11^th grader at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham, won the 2015 Poetry Out Loud competition on March 11 at the Waterville Opera House. Ella Werner, a 10^th grader at Yarmouth High School, was the runner-up. Both students will receive cash awards and their schools will receive prize money to purchase poetry books for their libraries.

Poetry Out Loud is sponsored annually at the state level by the Maine Arts Commission. This year’s competition included almost 10,000 students in 45 public and private Maine high schools. After participating in classroom, school-wide and regional level competitions, 10 state finalists gathered at the Waterville Opera House to recite three rounds of poetry from memory in the Maine State Final. Horowitz recited three poems: “Lovers’ Infiniteness” by John Donne, “Discrimination” by Kenneth Rexroth, and “Entirely” by Louis MacNeice.

Poetry Out Loud was established in 2006. In celebration of its tenth anniversary, the past state champions were invited to participate. Opening the program was the 2008 champion Kate McKeown, a former student at Leavitt Area High School in Turner, whose inspirational words included “recitation transforms words into music.” Interspersed throughout the program, were audio clips from four other Maine state champions including Kate (Reynolds) Bengtson, Erskine Academy (2007); William Whitham, Bangor High School (2009, 2010); Tyler O’Brien, Merriconeag Waldorf High School (2012); and Charlotte Feinberg, Gorham High School (2014). The first year of the program, Riva Dumont from Erskine Academy represented Maine and was one of the 10 finalists at the national competition. She delighted the Waterville Opera House audience with her recitation of the poem “Beauty” by Tony Hoagland.

As the Maine State Champion, Horowitz will represent Maine at the National Poetry Out Loud Finals on April 28 and 29 in Washington, D.C. where students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico will compete for the national title and a total of $50,000 in awards, including a grand prize of $20,000, and school stipends for the purchase of poetry. All prizes, as well as all materials for running this popular program in high schools across the nation, come from the National Endowment for the Arts and their partner in Poetry Out Loud, the Poetry Foundation.

In addition to Horowitz and Werner, other state finalists were: Mohammad Hashmi, Bangor High School; Josef Biberstein, Freeport High School; Mariah Lang, Gardiner Area High School; Emma Curnin, Kents Hill High School; Charlotte Eisenberg, North Yarmouth Academy; Emma Weissenfels, Oak Hill High School; Owen Sinclair, Rangeley Lakes Regional School; and Isabella Labbe, Waterville Senior High School.

Messalonskee High School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of music educator Andrew Forster, provided musical interludes.

For more information about Poetry Out Loud, visit http://mainearts.maine.gov/Pages/Education/POL-Home or contact Argy Nestor, Director of Arts Education, Maine Arts Commission at argy.nestor@maine.gov

The Maine Arts Commission shall encourage and stimulate public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; shall expand the state’s cultural resources; and shall encourage and assist freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state.

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