Poetry Out Loud 2011-12

Program Schedule and Eligibility

The Poetry Out Loud competition is open to any school in Washington State serving students in grades 9-12. A minimum of 2-3 participating teachers per school is

recommended. The program takes approximately 2-3 weeks of class time and can take place any time between September and January. School wide finals must take place before the end of January.

 

Register now for the 2011-12 Poetry Out Loud program. For additional information email poetry.out.loud@arts.wa.gov or call 360-586-1270.

 

More information on the Washington State program can be found on the Poetry Out Loud Fact Sheet (PDF).

Emma Spencer, 2012 Poetry Out Loud contestant, reciting at the state final. Photo by Cortney Kelley.

 

Washington State Poetry Out Loud Regions

The Washington State Arts Commission partners with organizations to bring Poetry Out Loud to schools across Washington State. The six regions and our regional coordinators are:

• Eastern Washington, Eastern Washington University
• Southeast Washington, Columbia Basin College
• Central Washington, Allied Arts of Yakima Valley
• Puget Sound, Washington State Arts Commission
• Northwest Washington, Northwest Educational Service District 189
• Southwest Washington, Educational Service District 112

 

Each registered school is connected with the closest regional partner. Regional finals will be held in Spokane, Pasco, Yakima, Tacoma, Mount Vernon and Vancouver in late January and early February. The State Finals will take place Saturday March 10, 2012 at the Rialto in Tacoma. The National Finals are scheduled for May 13-15, 2012.

 

“Poetry is a song within itself. It has its own beat, its own rhythm, its own flow.” Antassia Hammond, 2009 Central Washington Regional Final winner

 

Professional Development Workshops

Meghan Mulcahy, 2012 Poetry Out Loud contestant, reciting at the state final. Photo by Cortney Kelley.

Professional Development Workshops are held in each Poetry Out Loud region in order to support teaching poetry in the classroom. The workshops cover: strategies for teaching memorization and recitation; how to run classroom and school-wide competitions; information about Poetry Out Loud and; insights from teachers experienced with the program. Clock hours are available for participating teachers.

 

Program Materials

Teachers participating in Poetry Out Loud have access to a variety of support materials, including:

• A Teacher’s Guide to help instructors teach recitation and performance
• A comprehensive website that includes poetry resources and lesson plans
• An extensive online poetry anthology of over 600 poems
• Hardcopy anthologies of approximately 130 poems
• An Audio CD of distinguished actors and writers reciting and talking about poetry
• "Learning Recitation ," a DVD designed to teach the art of recitation

 

State Finals

Watch videos from the 2010 and 2011Washington State Poetry Out Loud Finals.

 

Registration

Register now for the 2011-12 Poetry Out Loud program. For additional information email poetry.out.loud@arts.wa.gov or call 360-586-1270.

 

Visit the Poetry Out Loud national website for additional resources.