Young Poets Sought for National Competition

The beginning of another school year marks the beginning of another round of Poetry Out Loud in Maine. The Maine Arts Commission, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, announces their call to schools wishing to participate in this national poetry recitation competition.

This year the Maine Arts Commission has arranged to increase the number of spaces available so that 50 schools may compete. All participating schools will be able to send a finalist to one of two regional competitions and one state finalist will receive an all expenses paid trip for two to the National Poetry Out Loud Finals in Washington, D.C., where they will compete for the national title and a $20,000 college scholarship.

For more information on the program please visit http://poetryoutloud.org/ Maine teachers wishing to sign their school up for the competition should e-mail John Holdridge at the Maine Arts Commission at john.holdridge@maine.gov. Please put “POL” in the subject heading of your e-mail.

Highlights from last year's final can be seen below.