Sign up now for Wyoming Poetry Out Loud

Wyoming Poetry Out Loud champion Sara Ellingrod of Arvada-Clearmont presents "Chicago" by Carl Sandburg at the POL national finals in Washington, D.C., in May. Photo © James Kegley

The Wyoming Arts Council invites interested language arts, speech/debate and drama teachers to take part in Poetry Out Loud (POL), the national recitation and memorization contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Designed specifically for students in grades 9-12, the program is a fun way to teach and reinforce language arts standards about poetry.

The sign-up deadline for Wyoming Poetry Out Loud is January 11.

The program materials are available now from the Wyoming Arts Council. The school contests will take place through mid-February, 2013. The state finals will take place in Cheyenne March 4-5. Many of the program materials are also available on the web site at http://www.poetryoutloud.org/.

POL builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, encouraging the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. Students can work on mastering comprehension, public speaking, acting, performance, drama and English skills while building self-confidence and internalizing our rich literary heritage.

Last year, 11 schools from across Wyoming participated in the program. Sara Ellingrod of Arvada-Clearmont, a second-time school winner, won the state finals and represented Wyoming at the national finals in Washington, D.C. She became one of only 53 students in a competition that involved 1,500 high schools and 365,000 students nationwide.

If a school is interested in participating in Wyoming’s Poetry Out Loud competition, or needs further information, please contact Linda Coatney at the WAC, 307-777-6393 or Linda.coatney@wyo.gov.