Teachers, principals, parents and students are invited to attend a free information session about the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud 2011 program for high school students. The session will be held at the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, 2 ½ Beacon St., on Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. Representatives from schools of all sizes and from all corners of New Hampshire are invited to attend.
Poetry Out Loud, sponsored by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. Building on the current resurgence of spoken word as an art form and inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word and theater into high school classrooms, the program also helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. Public, private and charter schools, plus home school groups, may participate.
In New Hampshire, New England College, Colby-Sawyer College and Southern New Hampshire University offer merit scholarships of up to $15,000 to each high school champion and alternate champion.
Participation in Poetry Out Loud is free of charge. It includes a variety of poetry-related resources and a three-week curriculum that can be varied to fit the needs of English teachers.
To register for the information session, contact Rodger Martin at 525-4715 or rodgerwriter@myfairpoint.net. The application deadline for Poetry Out Loud is Oct. 3.
To learn more about the national Poetry Out Loud program, vist poetryoutloud.org.
