Deadline is Dec. 4 for teachers, students to register for Poetry Out Loud

CARSON CITY, Nevada — Registration runs through Dec. 4 for the 2021 Nevada Poetry Out Loud competition. Sponsored by the Nevada Arts Council, Poetry Out Loud is a national program supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the nation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

High school teachers can register a class, and students can register individually. Poetry Out Loud is open to all high school-aged students in Nevada public, private, charter, parochial and alternative schools, and home school associations.

“The talent and confidence we see in students, reciting these poems and making them their own, is really remarkable,” Maryjane Dorofachuk, Nevada Arts Council arts learning specialist, said. “These students find their own voice and learn that words matter.”

The Poetry Out Loud state champion earns $200, wins $500 for his or her school to support literary programs, and represents Nevada in the national competition.

The Nevada Arts Council, along with its community partners, supports the state and district competitions made possible through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. In 2020, more than 4,300 students participated in Nevada’s Poetry Out Loud. Last year’s state champion was Eakjot Sekhon from Robert McQueen High School in Reno.

Teachers and students can learn more about Nevada Poetry Out Loud and register to participate at https://www.nvartscouncil.org/programs/arts-learning/pol/poetry-out-loud-registration/

or by contacting Maryjane Dorofachuk at (702) 486-3738 or mdorofachuk@nevadaculture.org.

EDITORS: Please see attached photo of winners from the 2020 Nevada Poetry Out Loud competition. Left to right, Anastasia Chevalier, second place; Eakjot Sekhon, first place, and Lara Cassity. third place. Photo by Nick Higman Photography.

The Nevada Arts Council is part of the Nevada Division of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Its mission is to enrich the cultural life of the state through leadership that preserves, supports, strengthens and makes accessible excellence in the arts for all Nevadans.