BIRTH OF A POET

ROBERT FROST was born on March 26, 1874.

It has been said that Frost, because of his birth and life, stood at the crossroads of 19th century American poetry and Modernism. His poetry embodied both styles.

During his lifetime Frost won 4 Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.

He died in 1963

To read the details of his life and times Google his name

POETRY EVENT- INTERNATIONAL

It’s time! Time for the 8th annual April PAD Challenge on the Poetic Asides blog, and I’m super excited about it. I’m happy to report that we’ll have the anthology and a new round of guest judges this year (more on both below).

First things first, this challenge is devoted to the goal of helping people write poems in a totally supportive atmosphere. Poets from around the world have participated in the past: Israel, Pakistan, India, Spain, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, the United States, and more. I’ve heard from poets with multiple collections who’ve used the challenge to create new work, poets who wrote their first ever poems as a result of the prompts, teachers who’ve had their classes participate, and so many others.

What is the April PAD Challenge?

PAD stands for Poem-A-Day, so this is a challenge in which poets write a poem each day of April. Usually, I’ll post a prompt in the morning (Atlanta, Georgia, time), and poets will write a poem in response.

Some poets share those poems on the blog in the comments; others keep their words to themselves. I don’t require comments on the blog to participate, but it does make it more fun when poets are firing away on the blog. Plus, there are some extrinsic reasons to share your poems in the comments this year.

Have you heard about the guest judges? Last year, we had a guest judge for each day of the challenge, and we’re bringing that back this year. Click here to check out this year’s guest judges. They’re pretty awesome, I promise!

Who can participate?

Anyone who wants to write poetry–whether you’ve been writing all your life or just want to give it a shot now, whether you write form poetry or free verse, whether you have a certain style or have no clue what you’re doing. The main thing is to poem (and yes, I use poem as a verb).

I should also note that I’m pretty open to content shared on the blog, but I do expect everyone who plays along in the comments to play nice. There have been moments in the past in which I’ve had to remove or warn folks who get a little carried away with troll-like behavior. My main goal is to make the challenge fun for all.

(That said, please send me an e-mail if you ever feel like someone is crossing the line. I don’t want to act as a censor–so don’t use me in that way–but I do want to make sure people aren’t being bullied or attacked in the comments.)

Why should I participate in the challenge?

Poem Your Heart Out, Volume 2

I believe there’s an intrinsic reason to participate in the challenge, because it leads to new poems. That alone is enough for most poets–and really should be the main reason. That said, there’s an incredible extrinsic reason to participate as well.

Words Dance Publishing is once again partnering with the Poetic Asides blog to publish an anthology of the top poems from each day of the challenge. The wonderful Amanda Oaks is in the process of designing this year’s cover (the 2014 cover is above) and will produce an anthology that includes the prompts, winning poems, and a place for poets to include their poems.

Since the first volume totally rocked, I know this anthology is going to be something super special. The design was great; the production quality was wonderful; and the poems wowed. I expect the same for this year’s anthology.

Where do I share my poems?

If you want to share your poems throughout the month, the best way is to paste your poem in the comments on the post that corresponds with that day’s prompt. For instance, post your poem for the Day 1 prompt on the Day 1 post in the comments.

You’ll find folks are pretty supportive on the Poetic Asides site. And if they’re not, I expect to be notified via e-mail.

If you are new to WritersDigest.com, you’ll be asked to register (it’s free) on the site to make comments. Plus, your comments will likely not immediately show, because I’ll have to approve them. This is just for folks completely new to the site. I believe after I approve your comments once, you’re good to go for future comments.

Avoid this problem by commenting on this post before April.

Have more questions? Click here to check out the official FAQs (and tips) for the April poetry challenge.

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CELEBRATE NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

30 ways to celebrate national poetry month

1. Order a free National Poetry Month poster and display it at work or school.
2. Sign up for Poem-a-Day and read a poem each morning.
3. Deepen your daily experience by reading Edward Hirsch’s essay “How to Read a Poem.”
4. Memorize a poem.
5. Create an anthology of your favorite poems on Poets.org.
6. Encourage a young person to participate in the Dear Poetproject.
7. Buy a book of poetry from your local bookstore.
8. Review these concrete examples of how poetry matters in the United States today.
9. Learn more about poets and poetry events in your state.
10. Ask your governor or mayor for a proclamation in support of National Poetry Month.
11. Attend a poetry reading at a local university, bookstore, cafe, or library.
12. Read a poem at an open mic. It’s a great way to meet other writers in your area and find out about your local poetry writing community.
13. Start a poetry reading group.
14. Write an exquisite corpse poem with friends.
15. Chalk a poem on the sidewalk.
16. Write a letter to a poet thanking them for their work.
17. Ask the United States Post Office to issue more stampscelebrating poets.
18. Recreate a poet’s favorite food or drink by following his or her recipe.
19. Read about different poetic forms.
20. Read about poems titled “poem.”
21. Read the first chapter of Muriel Rukeyer’s inspiring book,The Life of Poetry.
22. Subscribe to American Poets magazine or a small press poetry journal.
23. Watch Rachel Eliza Griffiths' latest Poets on Poetry video.
24. Watch or read Carolyn Forche’s talk “Not Persuasion, But Transport: The Poetry of Witness.”
25. Read or listen to Mark Doty’s talk “Tide of Voices: Why Poetry Matters Now.”
26. Read Allen Ginsberg’s classic essay about Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass.”
27. Watch a poetry movie.
28. Sign up for a poetry class or workshop.
29. Get ready for Mother’s Day by making a card featuring aline of poetry.
30. Celebrate National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30, 2015. The idea is simple: select a poem you love, carry it with you, then share it with coworkers, family, and friends.

NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

about the celebration

National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K-12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets marking poetry’s important place in our culture and our lives. 

While we celebrate poets and poetry year-round, the Academy of American Poets was inspired by the successful celebrations of Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March), and founded National Poetry Month in April 1996 with an aim to:

• highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets,
• encourage the reading of poems,
• assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms,
• increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media,
• encourage increased publication and distribution ofpoetry books, and 
• encourage support for poets and poetry.

There are many ways to participate. Here are just a few:

• Follow the thousands of National Poetry Month celebrations taking place using #npm15 and follow the Academy of American Poets on Twitter @POETSorg.
• Use the new National Poetry Month logo to promote your events. It can be downloaded here.
• Order a free National Poetry Month poster designed by Roz Chast and display it proudly.
• Invite K-12 students to participate in our Dear Poetproject by writing letters in response to poems shared by award-winning poets serving on our Board of Chancellors.
• Attend Poetry & the Creative Mind, a celebration of poetry from the reader’s perspective featuring leading and luminary actors, artists, and public figures, on April 15, 2015, in New York City.
• Participate in National Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 30, 2015.
• Sign up for Poem-a-Day.
• Join the Academy of American Poets and show your support year-round for poets and poetry.
• Share your photos and feedback about your National Poetry Month celebrations with the Academy of American Poets by emailing npm@poets.org.

POETRY EVENTS - CHICAGO

READING

Sunday, March 22, 6:00PM

Poetry off the Shelf: USA Artists featuring Chris Abani, Natalie Diaz & Achy Obejas

Join us for a reading and reception celebrating three 2014 United States Artist Fellows.
2014 USA Ford Fellow in Literature Chris Abani was born in Nigeria to an Igbo father and a white English mother, and...

Wednesday, March 25, 10:00AM

Wednesday Poemtime

The Poetry Foundation Library welcomes children ages two to five to a storytime event that introduces poetry through fun, interactive readings and crafts.

Sign...

PERFORMANCE

Wednesday, March 25, 7:00PM

August Wilson: From Poet to Playwright

Although best known for his “Century Cycle” of plays detailing the African American experience in each decade of the last century, Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson began his writing career as a poet,...

PERFORMANCE

Thursday, April 2, 11:00AM–12:00PM
Thursday, April 2, 1:00PM–2:00PM
Thursday, April 2, 3:00PM–5:00PM

National Youth Poetry Assembly Performances

Student poetry performances by champions of Poetry Out Loud, the current class of National Student Poets, and poetry slam and spoken word poets: #youthpoetryleaders

LECTURE

Thursday, April 2, 7:00PM

Bagley Wright Lecture Series : Terrance Hayes

Terrance Hayes discusses "Poems from Prison" as part of the spring Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry. The series seeks to provide leading poets with the opportunity to explore in depth their own...

Saturday, April 4, 10:00AM–3:00PM

Poetry Foundation Library: Special Saturday Hours

The Poetry Foundation Library is open to the public on select Saturdays. Young children and their parents/guardians are also invited to join us for Saturday Poemtime at 10:30 AM.
Browse our collection of...

Saturday, April 4, 10:30AM

Saturday Poemtime

The Poetry Foundation Library welcomes children ages two to five to a storytime event that introduces poetry through fun, interactive readings and craft

MORE POETRY NEWS

 Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference 
For Poets With a Book-Length (or Chapbook-Length) Manuscript: first conference to provide the faculty, connections, and method necessary to set poets with a completed or in-process manuscript on a path towards publication. Faculty for 2015 includes poets and editors Peter Covino (Barrow Street Press), Richard Greenfield (Apostrophe Books), Gabriel Fried (Persea Books), Joan Houlihan (Lesley University),  Frederick Marchant (Suffolk University), Rusty Morrison (Omnidawn), Hilda Raz (University of New Mexico), Martha Rhodes (Four Way Books), Jeffrey Shotts (Graywolf Press), Ellen Doré Watson (Smith College), and others.

 Anhinga-Robert Dana Prize for Poetry
The contest runs through May 15. Send poetry manuscripts of 48-80 pages, with a fee of $25, to: 
Anhinga Press
Anhinga-Robert Dana Prize for Poetry
PO Box 3665
Tallahassee, FL 32315
Electronic submissions are accepted via Submittable. The fee for electronic submission is $28.
Please do not put your name on the manuscript: make two title pages-one with your name, address, and phone number, and one without.
Contact info: info@anhinga.org
Kristine Snodgrass 
Or, visit our website at www.anhinga.org

 Passager Poetry Contest - Writers Over 50
Deadline: April 15, 2015 
Reading fee: $20, check or money order payable to Passager/UB, includes a one-year subscription (2 issues) 
Winner receives $500 and publication. Honorable mentions will be published. 
Submit 5 poems, 40 lines max. per poem. Cover letter, bio, SASE for results. 
No previously published work. No E-mail submissions. 

Send to: 
Passager Poetry Contest 
1420 N. Charles Street 
Baltimore, MD 21201 
Questions? editors@passagerbooks.comwww.passagerbooks.com

WORLD POETRY DAY 2015

World Poetry Day: March 21

The result of a decision made at the UNESCO session in Paris in 1999, March 21 is designated World Poetry Day, a day for cultural organizations, schools, libraries, and publishers worldwide to celebrate the art of poetry. The day is meant to “support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities.”

As Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has said, “Poetry is one of the purest expressions of linguistic freedom. It is a component of the identity of peoples and it embodies the creative energy of culture, for it can be continuously renewed.”

In celebration of poetry around the world, please take a moment to learn more about the sampling of other poetry organizations and festivals listed below. 

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International Poetry Organizations and Festivals

Australian Poetry

www.australianpoetry.org

ChilePoesía

http://www.chile-poesia.cl/

Festival de Perfopoesía en Sevilla

http://festivalperfopoesiasevilla.blogspot.com/

Festival Internacional de Poesía de Quetzaltenango Guatemala

http://www.fipq.org/

Forward Art Foundation and National Poetry Day in the U.K.

http://www.forwardartsfoundation.org/

German Centre for Poetry and the Poesiefestival Berlin

http://www.literaturwerkstatt.org/en/poesiefestival-berlin/home/

International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong

http://www.ipnhk.com/

Poetry Africa Festival

http://www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/index.php/poetry-africa-home

Poetry International Rotterdam and the Poetry International Festival

http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/home/index/en

Poetry Ireland

www.poetryireland.ie

The Poetry Society

www.poetrysociety.org.uk

The Poetry Trust and The Aldeburgh Poetry Festival

www.thepoetrytrust.org

Scotland’s International Poetry Festival

http://www.stanzapoetry.org/

Scottish Poetry Library

http://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/

Tasmanian Poetry Festival

http://www.taspoetryfest.org/Tasmanian_Poetry_Festival/Welcome.html

ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival

http://www.literaturwerkstatt.org/en/literaturwerkstatt-berlin/home/

POETRY EVENT - CHICAGO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Youth Poetry Assembly Creates Forum for Students to Discuss Poetry and Youth Culture  

Poetry Out Loud, National Student Poets Program and poetry slam/spoken word youth programs convene at Chicago’s Poetry Foundation 

March 18, 2015

CHICAGO -- On April 2-3, the Poetry Foundation’s Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Competition champions, the 2014 Class of National Student Poets, and representatives of poetry slam and spoken word organizations from around the country will convene to examine and contemplate issues around the role of poetry in youth culture. In this two-day assembly, young poets, established poets, and poetry leaders will present a series of public and private performances, seminars, and workshops to investigate how poetry both informs and transforms the lives of students.
“It is crazy how I can be weary and afraid, pick up a poem, and find myself empowered and moved to continue living just as I am, human,” says Anita Norman, 2014 Poetry Out Loud: National Student Recitation Competition champion. “We have the power to write someone’s peace into existence, to write dreams until they float off the page and into reality. Words do that. Expression in that way has healed so many people and will continue to do so if we stay open to the power of communication. We’ve got to stay connected to make any sort of difference in the world. Poetry is a vehicle of change.”
The current class of National Student Poets, the nation’s highest honor for youth poets presenting original works, will be in attendance to share their poems. Each year, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, appoints five student poets for one year of service as literary ambassadors. At the White House ceremony last September, First Lady Michelle Obama told the new Class of 2014, “[W]e started this program because we wanted to nurture the passion and creativity of our young people. And we wanted to help them engage with their communities, and we wanted to do our part to share the gifts and wonders that poetry offers with a new generation.”
Poetry slam and spoken word have become more prominent in literary culture and several youth performance poetry organizations will contribute to the discussion. Currently confirmed to attend this seminar are Young Chicago Authors andPhiladelphia Youth Poetry Movement. Other organizations are expected to participate.
"We are excited that all these terrific poetry and arts organizations will be coming together in Chicago for a youth, poetry, and education summit," said Poetry Foundation President, Robert Polito. "But we are even more excited about the students themselves. I know of no stronger ambassadors for poetry than these gifted young people."
Over the course of the two day assembly, private programs for students feature a master class with poet Terrance Hayes, a Q&A with Poetry magazine editor Don Share and a panel discussion with leaders in the poetry and cultural community including Lisa New, Professor of English at Harvard University; Jen Benka, Executive Director of the American Academy of Poets; Alice Quinn, Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America; and representatives of the President’s Committee, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Library of Congress.
Public Programs
What:  Student poetry performances by state champions of Poetry Out Loud, the current class of National Student Poets, and poetry slam/spoken word poets
When: Thursday, April 2 at 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM, and 3:00 PM  – 5:00 PM
Where: The Poetry Foundation, 61 W. Superior, Chicago
More Info: Free and open to the public. 312.799.7070 or visit our website at poetryfoundation.org
Hashtag: #youthpoetryleaders

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About the National Student Poets Program
Annually, five students are selected for one year of service as literary ambassadors, each representing a different geographic region of the country. By elevating and showcasing their work for a national audience, the program strives to inspire other young people to achieve excellence in their own creative endeavors and promote the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success.
The National Student Poets Program reflects the national imprimatur of the President’s Committee on Arts and the Humanities and its Honorary Chairman, First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as the Administration’s commitment to arts and humanities education. It connects the National Student Poets with audiences and resources in their communities through the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ community-based network of libraries and museums and builds upon the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers’ long-standing work with educators and creative teens through the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
About Poetry Out Loud
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with U.S. state arts agencies to support Poetry Out Loud, a contest that encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs. For more information, please visit poetryfoundation.org.
Follow the Poetry Foundation and Poetry on Facebook at facebook.com/poetryfoundation or on Twitter @PoetryFound.
POETRY FOUNDATION | 61 W. Superior Street | Chicago, IL 60654 | 312.787.7070
Media contact:
Elizabeth Burke-Dain, Marketing and Media Director, eburkedain@poetryfoundation.org, 312.799.8016
Polly Faust, Media Assistant, pfaust@poetryfoundation.org, 

A POEM FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

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American Life in Poetry: Column 513

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE

 

Kwame Dawes is the editor of Prairie Schooner and one of my colleagues at the University of Nebraska. Had I never had the privilege of getting to know him I still would have loved the following poem, for its clear and matter-of-fact account of a sudden loss. Coffee Break  It was Christmastime, the balloons needed blowing, and so in the evening we sat together to blow balloons and tell jokes, and the cool air off the hills made me think of coffee, so I said, “Coffee would be nice,” and he said, “Yes, coffee would be nice,” and smiled as his thin fingers pulled the balloons from the plastic bags; so I went for coffee, and it takes a few minutes to make the coffee and I did not know if he wanted cow’s milk or condensed milk, and when I came out to ask him, he was gone, just like that, in the time it took me to think, cow’s milk or condensed; the balloons sat lightly on his still lap.

POETRY NEWS/EVENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2015

Poetry Out Loud Celebrates its 10th Year at National Finals, April 28-29, 2015

Join Poetry Out Loud Online via Live Webcast, Viewing Parties, and Social Media

CHICAGO, IL –  Think poetry and competition don’t mix? Nearly three million students and 9,500 schools would disagree with you. That’s how many have participated in the ten years of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest—and the 2015 National Finals will take place on April 28-29 in Washington, DC. Poetry Out Loud is the nation’s largest youth poetry recitation competition, and next month, high school students who advanced from a field of more than 365,000 students nationwide will gather in Washington, DC to match skills in reciting classic and contemporary poetry from Shakespeare to Maya Angelou. The top finalists and their schools will receive $50,000 in awards, including $20,000 for the National Champion. Award-winning poet Taylor Mali will host the Finals, and the roster of judges includes poets Richard Blanco and Nikky Finney, writer and critic Maria Popova, novelist Brando Skyhorse, and educator Carol Jago. The National Finals will also feature a performance by composer and multi-instrumentalist, Gabriel Kahane.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Poetry Out Loud is a partnership between Poetry Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The program encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud gives students an opportunity to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. 

The 53 champions will gather at the Poetry Out Loud semifinals on Tuesday, April 28, from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm at Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University, 730 21st Street NW, Washington, DC. Nine finalists will advance to the National Finals, also held at Lisner Auditorium, on Wednesday, April 29, from 7:00 to 9:15 pm. Both events are free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required.

"Poetry Out Loud’s tenth anniversary is an occasion for much celebration," said Robert Polito, president of the Poetry Foundation, "and a chance for us all to think anew about the role of poems in our lives and our cultures. To memorize and recite a great poem of the past or present, is to ‘own’ it in the most personal way in your body, your breath, and your spirit. Recitation is obviously an interpretive act, but also is creative, and often even self-transformative.”

“For a decade, Poetry Out Loud has proven to be transformative for nearly three million high school students, and tens of thousands of teachers in high schools across the nation. Programs like this are so important, and not just because it introduces the beauty of poetry to young people. NEA research shows that arts education is linked to many positive, long-term academic benefits, social benefits, and workforce benefits,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Programs like Poetry Out Loud give our nation’s youth access to arts education opportunities that will help them learn and succeed in life.”

Live Webcast and Viewing Parties

Not in Washington, DC, but still want to see the competition? You can watch the entire semifinals and finals through a live, one-time only webcast. You can also gather fellow poetry fans for a Poetry Out Loud Webcast Viewing Party. Register at arts.gov and find tips on hosting your party, promotional materials, and details on other viewing parties around the country. Follow the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on Twitter at @PoetryOutLoud and @NEAarts,#POL15. For more information on the event, webcast, or viewing parties, visit arts.gov or call 202-682-5606.

Poetry Out Loud Partnerships

The National Finals are the culmination of efforts by many partners. As national partners, the NEA and the Poetry Foundation have supported the administration of the program, created educational materials, and funded awards for both the state and national finals. State arts agencies have implemented the program in high schools nationwide and organized state competitions, often in collaboration with local arts organizations. The Poetry Out Loud National Finals are administered by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

Schools interested in registering for the 2015-2016 Poetry Out Loud contest should contact their state arts agency. More information is available at www.poetryoutloud.org.

Educational Materials, Contests, and Awards

Poetry Out Loud offers educators free standards-based curriculum materials, which include a poetry anthology with more than 900 classic and contemporary poems, a teacher’s guide, lesson plans, and video and audio on the art of recitation. Schools are welcome to download these free resources at www.poetryoutloud.org.

Using a pyramid structure, Poetry Out Loud started with classroom and schoolwide activities and contests between September 2014 and February 2015. State contests were held by mid-March; the 53 champions of contests in every state, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, DC, compete at the National Finals. The Poetry Out Loud National Finals will present $50,000 in awards and school stipends for the purchase of poetry books. Awards include $20,000 for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion and $10,000 and $5,000 for the second- and third-place finalists. In total, Poetry Out Loud will award more than $100,000 to state- and national-level winners and their schools.

Fast Facts About #POL15

• Poetry Out Loud participation 2005-2015: 2.7 million students and 9,500 schools.
• 2014-2015 participation stats: 365,000 students, 9,000 teachers, 2,300 high schools.
• Top three most popular poems for 2014-15 season: “Abandoned Farmhouse” by Ted Kooser, “Across the Bay” by Donald Davie and “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost.
• Number of repeat state champs at National Finals, 2005-2014: 42. Number of repeat schools at National Finals: 81, including five-timer Arvada/Clearmont High School (WY). 
• States with the highest number of participating students in 2015: New Jersey, California, Washington, Massachusetts, and Maryland.
• Oldest and youngest poets represented in the 900+ poem anthology are Queen Elizabeth I (b. 1533) and Jamaal May (b. 1982).

About the Poetry Foundation

The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative partnerships, prizes, and programs. For more information, visit poetryfoundation.org.

About Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation develops partnerships and programs that reinforce artists’ capacity to create and present work, advance access to and participation in the arts, and promote a more sustainable arts ecology.

About the NEA

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $5 billion to strengthen the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov. View this release on arts.gov.

A POEM FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

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American Life in Poetry: Column 512

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE

 

I’ve read lots of poems about the loss of beloved pets, but this one by J.T. Ledbetter, who lives in California, is an especially fine and sensitive one. Elegy for Blue  Someone must have seen an old dog dragging its broken body through the wet grass; someone should have known it was lost, drinking from the old well, then lifting its head to the wind off the bottoms, and someone might have wanted that dog trailing its legs along the ground like vines sliding up the creek searching for sun; but they were not there when the dog wandered through Turley’s Woods looking for food and stopped beneath the thorn trees and wrapped its tail around its nose until it was covered by falling leaves that piled up and up until there was no lost dog at all to hear the distant voice calling through the timber, only a tired heart breathing slower, and breath, soft as mist, above the leaves.

POETRY NEWS - OHIO

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POETRY OUT LOUD STATE FINALS–COME CELEBRATE 10 YEARS!

March 4, 2015 · by artsohio · Bookmark the permalink. ·

Lake Wilburn recited “Double Dutch,” by Gregory Pardlo and “When You Are Old,” by William Butler Yeats during the morning round of the national finals of the Poetry Out Loud competition in Washington, D.C. (Photo by James Kegley)

by Molly Rutledge

Come see Ohio’s next Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion be named at the 2015 State Finals this Saturday, March 7, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Lincoln Theatre (769 E. Long St., Columbus) in downtown Columbus. The event is free and open to the public.

This year marks the program’s 10th anniversary. The state champion will receive $300 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the national finals in April, and the champion’s school will receive $500 for their library.

At the State Finals, 34 Ohio school champions will recite two prepared poems. Judges will then choose six finalists. After the finalists recite one last poem, judges will select a state champion.

All finalists will be awarded original artwork from Cleveland printmaker Michael Gilland a volume of poetry Kazim Ali, who will also recite at the event.

Following the State Finals, 53 young adults, representing every U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia, will gather in the nation’s capital to compete for $50,000. Before joining together on the national stage, students participate in thousands of high school recitation contests across the country—from Alaska to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Ohio’s champions have been particularly successful at the national level. Jackson Hille of Columbus Alternative High School won the POL National Recitation Contest in its very first year, earning $20,000. In 2009, Mido Aly of Upper Arlington High School placed in the top nine at the National Finals. Taribo Osuobeni of Westerville Central High School received an honorable mention in 2013, and last year, Lake Wilburn of Centennial High School (Columbus) placed second in the nation and won a $10,000 cash prize.

Jackson Hille displaying his award at the state finals in 2006.

Over the past ten years, participation in Ohio’s POL competition has grown. Seven schools participated in the first state finals, all hailing from the central Ohio region. This year, Ohio POLboasts 59 registered high schools across the state. More than 9,000 Ohio students participated this year alone.

Former state Senator Eric Kearney of Cincinnati will emcee the event. An avid poetry-lover, he sponsored legislation to create the position of Ohio Poet Laureate, which Governor John R. Kasich signed into law.

Volunteering as judges for this year’s State Finals are Ohio poets Steve Abbott, Ray McNiece, and Hannah Stevenson, as well as Ohio Center for the Book Director Amy Dawson and Wexner Center for the Arts Educator for School Programs Dionne Custer Edwards. All poems are selected from the POL anthology.

In sum, Poetry Out Loud is a complete program that starts in the classroom. It builds self confidence, public speaking skills, and an appreciation for literary heritage. But perhaps most importantly, Poetry Out Loud ensures poetry will thrive as an art form for generations to come.

To learn more about Poetry Out Loud in Ohio, visit the Ohio Arts Council’s website, or contact the OAC’s Arts Learning Coordinator Chiquita Mullins Lee at 614/728-4455 if you’re interested in becoming involved in Poetry Out Loud.

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