News

2018-19 Poetry Out Loud Registration Officially Open

By Meredith Callis, Arts Education Special Projects Coordinator –

The Tennessee Arts Commission is excited to be hosting Poetry Out Loud for the 10thyear. Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide program created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, encouraging the study of poetry to high schoolers through a unique competition.  This program is sometimes students’ first interaction with poetry and serves as an incredible tool for ALL students to learn useful public speaking and presentation skills.

Tennessee’s registration for this year’s Poetry Out Loud event is officially OPEN.

Poetry Out Loud is focused on memorization and recitation of classic and contemporary works of poetry – with over 900 poems to choose from! Teaching resources are completely FREE and aligned with Common Core and NCTE ELA Standards. The program can easily stand alone or be folded into a current curriculum. Teachers of ALL subjects are encouraged to participate.

Similar to the National Spelling Bee, the competition will begin at the classroom level. Winners will advance to an optional school-wide competition, then to State Finals in here in Nashville where the winning student will receive $1,000, as well as a trip for them and their teacher to represent Tennessee in Washington D.C. at the National Poetry Out Loud Finals. In 2014, the TN state winner (Anita Norman) went on to win the National Championship in DC, receiving a scholarship of $20,000.

Poetry Out Loud is a fun, dynamic platform for ALL students to participate in a school activity, and learn useful public speaking and presentation skills. Follow the links below to have materials sent to your school or to register your school for the program.

Request Materials
School Registration

Do you know a school or educator that would make a perfect candidate for Poetry Out Loud? Refer them to Tennessee Poetry Out Loud where they can register.