Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. By encouraging youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
About Poetry Out Loud
Participating high schools host their own competitions and select a student to represent their school at the state finals. The state champion will advance to the national finals in Washington, DC and compete for a $20,000 college scholarship. Twenty-three high schools participated in the 2010 state championship; link to the press release for results. Nearly 9,000 students from dozens of Michigan high schools have participated in Poetry Out Loud programs since 2005.
View a short film about the 2009 program produced by Michigan Public Media. Watch a video profile of Poetry Out Loud from CBS Sunday Morning, broadcast on September 13, 2009. Both videos feature Michigan's 2009 champion, Daniel Bellomy.
2010-2011 Contest Schedule
- November 19, 2010: Deadline to submit participation form.
- September 2010 to February 4, 2011. Schools weave Poetry Out Loud into curriculum, hold school competitions.
- February 4, 2011. Deadline to submit winning student (one from each school).
- February 26, 2011. Regional Finals (if necessary; venues TBD).
- March 12, 2011. State Finals, Lansing (venue TBD).
- April 27-29, 2011. National Finals, Washington, DC.
Forms and Resources
- Participation form. Deadline: November 19.
- School champion form (forthcoming). Deadline: February 4, 2011.
- Permission form (under 18 / over 18) (forthcoming). Deadline: February 18, 2011.
- Travel reimbursement form (forthcoming). Deadline: March 18, 2011.
- Evaluation forms (forthcoming). Deadline: March 18, 2011.
- Curriculum resources.
- Teacher's Guide.
Prizes
The state winner will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The runner-up in the state competition will receive $100, along with $200 for his or her school library.Scholarships and school stipends totaling $50,000 will be awarded at the national finals, with a $20,000 college scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud national champion.Statistics from 2009-2010
More than 4,800 students participated in Michigan’s Poetry Out Loud from 25 schools. More than 1,600 teacher hours were dedicated to the program. Students who returned evaluations (n=2732) reported:- 71% somewhat or strongly agreed that their enjoyment of poetry increased because of Poetry Out Loud.
- 61.0% somewhat or strongly agreed that Poetry Out Loud increased their confidence and/or made them feel more at ease in front of an audience.
- 49.5% “never or almost never” studied poetry recitation before Poetry Out Loud.
- 51.6% somewhat or strongly agreed that they are more likely to read poetry for pleasure than before participating in Poetry Out Loud.
- 58.5% somewhat or strongly agreed that they found favorite poems or poets because of Poetry Out Loud.
Michigan Poetry Out Loud Champions
- 2010 Champion: Lauren Treiber, Forest Hills Central High School, Grand Rapids
- 2009 Champion: Daniel Bellomy, Cass Technical High School, Detroit
- 2008 Champion: Charles White, Forest Hills Central High School, Grand Rapids
- 2007 Champion: Sarah Harris, Holt High School
- 2006 Champion: Travis Walter, Holt High School
Council Programs
- The Great Michigan Read
- Arts & Humanities Media Project
- Arts & Humanities Touring Program
- Picturing America in Michigan
- Poetry Out Loud
- PRIME TIME Family Reading Time®
2010 Michigan Poetry Out Loud champion Lauren Treiber of Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids.
Program Partners
Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the Michigan Humanities Council, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the State Library of Michigan, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Poetry Foundation.