Registration is now open for 2025 Arizona Poetry Out Loud! Once registered, participating teachers/schools are supported with coaching opportunities from experienced coaches and with free digital classroom materials augmenting their regular poetry curriculum with poetry recitation and a classroom-level competition!
Registration closes on October 31, 2024.
What is Poetry Out Loud?
Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national arts education program and recitation contest. It seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry: recitation and performance. The program builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of rap music among youth. POL invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the classroom. Through POL, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
How can my school participate?
Teachers who would like to participate register themselves for the program – one registration per school or organization. Once registered, each participating teacher/school is supported with coaching opportunities from experienced coaches and with free digital classroom materials – a poetry anthology, teachers’ guide, lesson plans, poetry books and access to a comprehensive website (www.poetryoutloud.org) all aligned to national standards – augmenting their regular poetry curriculum with poetry recitation and a classroom-level competition. School-level recitation champions compete to advance to the regional, state and then national levels (students must compete at each level of competition to advance to the next stage of the contest).
Special considerations for the 2025 season
- Information about Arizona’s POL program offerings, deadlines, and competition schedule is located at https://poetry.arizona.edu/poetry-out-loud.
- National Finals are planned to be held May 5-7, 2025 in Washington, DC. More information will be announced sooner to the competition.
- Arizona’s amazing regional partners will offer coaching online or in-person for small groups, and individual students will work closely with teachers to help them navigate this new approach to the competition.
- A box of books, with titles curated by the Poetry Center’s POL Team, will be mailed by April 2025 to teachers/schools who actively participate in Arizona’s Poetry Out Loud program.
Register Now!
If you have any questions, please contact Arizona’s Poetry Out Loud State Coordinator, Gema Ornelas, at gornelas@email.arizona.edu.
Image: Zaskia Villa, 2015 Arizona Poetry Out Loud state champion. Photo by Alonso Parra
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