Poetry Daily is tracking POL events up to the National Finals in Washington, DC this April. This week they have a special feature: an interview with poet and teacher Ron Smith about his years of experience with the program and students “living the poem.” Here is a quote from the article:
I tell you, the entire experience is full of miracles…I just love to watch people doing something well, to watch a person embodying art—really, becoming more fully, more memorably human.
Read this in-depth article in its entirety here. And don’t forget to support POL in your community and state competitions!
The 2010 Poetry Out Loud season is in full swing–congratulations to those states who have already chosen their winners, and good luck to those with competitions coming up this week and weekend! We have heard nothing but good things about the state contests thus far and are extremely grateful to all those State Arts Agencies and volunteers who help pull off such amazing events. Below is the last batch of state competitions, which will take place in two weeks. Remember, if your state hasn’t had their finals yet, go support your community and hear fantastic recitations!
California- March 15
Connecticut- March 16
Illinois- March 18
Kentucky- March 16
Montana- March 20
New Hampshire- March 20
New Jersey- March 18
Pennsylvania- March 15
South Carolina- March 20
South Dakota- march 15
Tennessee- March 20
Washington- March 20
It’s great to see Poetry Out Loud getting coverage in many local newspapers, websites and blogs! Search Google News for Poetry Out Loud or your community websites to see if your competitions have made the news. Also, check out www.schooltube.com to see some school competitions and student-produced POL videos.
POL state competitions are underway with New Mexico on Sunday and Alaska today, and more during the rest of the week and weekend. In two weeks we will have the busiest week/weekend for POL state finals; check the list below to see if your state is one of the many in that batch. Good luck everyone!
Colorado- March 9
District of Columbia- March 8
Florida- March 13
Georgia- March 14
Kansas- March 12
Massachusetts- March 14
Mississippi- March 11
Nebraska- March 13
Nevada- March 13
North Dakota- March 9
Ohio- March 13
Oregon- March 12-13
Puerto Rico- March 13
Utah- March 11
Virginia- March 11
Wisconsin- March 13
Good luck to all of our states who will be holding their finals Feb 21st-Feb 28th!
As the first batch of states are days away from holding their championships, here is the 2nd batch of states whose finals are coming up 2 weeks from now (plenty of time to clear the date on your calendar!) Remember, most, if not all, competitions are open to the public; contact your state arts agency for locations and times. Also, please share your thoughts and experiences from your school, regional, or state contests on this blog or Facebook or Twitter…we love to hear from you!
Arizona- March 5
Arkansas- March 6
Iowa- March 6
Louisiana- March 6
Maine- March 5
Michigan- March 6
Minnesota- March 8
Missouri- March 3
New York- March 6
North Carolina- March 6
Oklahoma- March 6
Vermont- March 6
Virgin Islands- March 7
West Virginia- March 6
Wyoming- March 1-2
It’s that time again–the state Poetry Out Loud finals will be starting soon. Ten states are gearing up to start their competitions in 2 weeks. Most, if not all, state competitions are open to the public–contact your state arts agency to make sure and to find out the exact location and time of your area’s event. See and hear some amazing recitations and support your community in POL! Here is a list of the first finals of 2010:
Alabama- Feb 26
Alaska- Feb 23
Delaware- Feb 24
Hawaii- Feb 28
Idaho- Feb 27
Indiana- Feb 27
Maryland- Feb 27
New Mexico- Feb 21
Rhode Island- Feb 27
Texas- Feb 27
“The wind may blow the snow about,
For all I care, says Jack,
And I don’t mind how cold it grows,
For then the ice won’t crack.
Old folks may shiver all day long,
But I shall never freeze;
What cares a jolly boy like me
For winter days like these?”
Do you, as Wallace Stevens said, “have a mind of winter”? Do you get lost in thoughts of snow-laden tree branches and frost-covered windows? Or are you of another mind altogether; a mind that leans towards warmer climes and shuts down at the thought of putting on another layer of thermal clothing? Well, we have a list of seasonal poems to suit either mindset. Would you rather celebrate the winter weather in Baer’s “Snowflake” or wallow in the cold despair it can bring in Rexroth’s “The Bad Old Days”? Take a look at these other chilly POL poems: Continue reading »
We would like to thank all the educators who stopped by the POL booth this weekend at NCTE 2009 in Philadelphia. It was great to talk to all of you about the program and we hope that all of you who were able to get a teacher’s kit enjoy using the materials in your schools. For those who were unable to get a kit, all of the materials (and more) are available for free download on this site. We also would like to thank all the POL veterans who stopped by to praise the program and let us know how it’s working for them and their students. Remember, if you ever have any questions about the program or materials, don’t hesitate to email us at any time. Again, thank you and good luck for a successful 2009-2010 POL season!
Videos of select recitations from the 2009 National Finals are now available on the POL site. Click here to see the National Champion, Will Farley, perform Williams’ “Danse Russe” as well as 2nd Place Winner Barbara Gooding, and 3rd Place Winner Kareem Sayegh perform their poem selections. We have also posted the performances of two of our top 12 finishers, Kaleena Kovach and Stanley Jackson, as well as Oregon State Champion Tiffany Hill. At the bottom of the video page, we have singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant performing a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem, which is an eligible POL poem and is found here.
Watch and share with friends, family, teachers, students, anyone. We hope you enjoy these wonderful recitations!
If you will be attending the NCTE Annual Convention in Philadelphia this November, be sure to visit the Poetry Out Loud booth in the exhibitor hall. Come to booth # 728 to ask us questions and tell us how the program is working in your school and community. Continue reading »
On September 13, CBS News Sunday Morning featured a segment on the 2009 Poetry Out Loud National Finals, which took place last April. Host (and poet) Charles Osgood visited Washington, DC, to tape interviews with various participants, including guest judge Garrison Keillor and state champions. CBS Sunday Morning is seen nationally by 4.9 million viewers each week.
Osgood also recorded a related audio segment for the September 11 edition of The Osgood File, a national radio feature that airs on more than 400 stations across the country.
