Poetry Out Loud opens contest to entire state of Hawai‘i

The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and Honolulu Theatre for Youth is extending an open invitation to all Hawai‘i schools to participate in the 2008 national recitation contest. The contest Poetry Out Loud, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, encourages high school students to learn about all forms of poetry through memorization, performance and competition.

Students will practice public speaking skills, build confidence and learn about their literary heritage. Any public, private, parochial, independent, home or charter high school student in grades 9 through 12 in the state of Hawai‘i is eligible. So far 25 high schools are participating.

The national contest is in its third year and 2008 will be the first year Hawai‘i is opening entrant participation for the entire state. Regional finalists will meet March 9, 2008, on O‘ahu to compete in the state finals.

The winner from the state final will move forward to the national competition held April 27-29, 2008, in Washington, D.C., for the national title. The state winner will receive $200 and an all-expenses paid trip with a chaperone to Washington, D.C. to compete in the national finals. The winner’s school will receive $500. The runner-up will receive $100 and the school, $200. The national winner will receive a $20,000 college scholarship and other winners will receive awards as well.

Interested parties may visit www.poetryoutloud.org for more information.

Schools may contact Karen Wright at 536-9269 or e-mail karenw@hawaii.rr.com. Wright can send a packet of materials which includes information about the contest. Included in the packet is a comprehensive teacher workbook to help instructors teach recitation and performance, an instructional audio CD featuring distinguished actors and writers and an anthology of selected poems available for recitation. The entire list of poems for recitation can be found on the Web site www.poetryoutloud.org