High school champions from across New Hampshire will compete at four semifinal competitions in March for the opportunity to represent their school at the 2013 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud Championship, at the State House on March 15 at 7 p.m. Virginia Prescott, host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s Word of Mouth program, will serve as master of ceremonies.
The statewide competition leads up to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, which take place April 28-30 in Washington, D.C., coinciding with National Poetry Month.
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation competition for high school students and is initiated and funded through a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Funds are provided to state arts agencies to implement Poetry Out Loud in high schools around the country. The State Council on the Arts sponsors the program in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire semi-final competitions are free and open to the public. Seating may be limited in some facilities so early arrival is recommended. Locations and dates are: Southern New Hampshire University’s Walker Auditorium (Robert Frost Hall), Manchester, March 5 at 7 p.m.; Plymouth State University’s Boyd Hall, March 7 at 7 p.m.; New England College’s Great Room (Simon Center), Henniker, March 8 at 7 p.m.; and University of New Hampshire’s Hennessey Theatre, Durham, March 11 at 7 p.m.
Snow dates and updates on parking for these events are available at nh.gov/nharts.
New Hampshire is fortunate to have many local partners for the 2013 New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud program. Additional support comes from Gibson’s Bookstore.
To learn more, view the calendar of high school competition dates, or find out how your school can be involved, go to nh.gov/nharts and click on the Poetry Out Loud button. For additional information, contact Catherine O’Brian, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts at 271-0795, catherine.r.obrian@dcr.nh.gov.
