Poetry Out Loud
The Massillon Museum is the Ohio Arts Council’s Northeast Ohio regional partner for Poetry Out Loud. A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the state and jurisdictional arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Visit PoetryOutLoud.org to learn more about the program.
Counties in the Northeast Ohio region are: Ashland, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, and Wayne. Teachers and arts organizations leaders within the region who are interested in hosting a school championship at their high school or organization are now able to register for 2024! Visit oac.ohio.gov/Programs/Poetry-Out-Loud/Poetry-Out-Loud-Registration to register your high school or arts organization. Please register by November 1, 2023.
Please email Poetry Out Loud Coordinator Mary Ruth Kamp at POL@MassillonMuseum.org with any questions about registration or to learn more about the Poetry Out Loud program.
Important Dates for the Northeast Ohio Region
- Registration is now open for the 2023–24 program. Visit oac.ohio.gov/Programs/Poetry-Out-Loud/Poetry-Out-Loud-Registration to register your high school or arts organization. Please register by November 1, 2023.
- Workshop Dates
- Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.: Statewide Teacher Workshop via Zoom
- This informational workshop is geared toward teachers and arts organization leaders from throughout Ohio who are interested in learning more about hosting a Poetry Out Loud competition at their arts organization or public, private, or parochial high school. Current registrants are also welcome, as well as past participants interested in sharing their Poetry Out Loud experiences. Representatives from MassMu and the Ohio Arts Council's other five regional partner organizations will be on the call, as will Ohio Arts Council Arts Learning Coordinator Chiquita Mullins Lee.
- A recording of the workshop will be made available soon.
- Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.: Northeast Ohio Teacher Workshop via Zoom
- This informational workshop is geared toward teachers and arts organization leaders from Northeast Ohio who are interested in learning more about hosting a Poetry Out Loud competition at their arts organization or public, private, or parochial high school.
- Northeast Ohio arts organization leaders and teachers are welcome to attend this workshop as well as the Statewide Teacher Workshop to learn more about the program.
- Please register by Friday, September 22, at 12:00 p.m.
- Sunday, October 22, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.: Student Workshop at the Massillon Museum in Gessner Hall
- This workshop is for school and arts organization champions, school/organization staff, and parents/guardians of student champions
- Registration required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/699818484927?aff=oddtdtcreator.
- Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.: Statewide Teacher Workshop via Zoom
- Northeast Ohio Regional Semifinals
- Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at the Massillon Museum in Gessner Hall
- Join the Massillon Museum for the Northeast Ohio Regional Semifinals! Student champions from high schools and arts organizations throughout the region will compete in Gessner Hall.
- Registered high school and arts organization contacts will be sent an email directly from Poetry Out Loud Coordinator Mary Ruth Kamp with further instructions for school champions.
- Registration requested at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/699827190967?aff=oddtdtcreator.
- Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at the Massillon Museum in Gessner Hall
- State Finals presented by the Ohio Arts Council
- Friday, February 9, 2024
- More information coming soon
- Friday, February 9, 2024
- National Finals in Washington, DC, presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and Poetry Foundation
- Tuesday, April 30, through Thursday, May 2, 2024
- Support the Ohio Poetry Out Loud winner as they compete in the National Finals
- More information will be available at PoetryOutLoud.org soon
- Tuesday, April 30, through Thursday, May 2, 2024
Rules and Eligibility Requirements
- Only currently enrolled students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible, with an exception made for 8th-grade students participating in a 9th- through 12th-grade class.
- No student may be excluded from participating in Poetry Out Loud on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin. Schools may determine eligibility for classroom and school level Poetry Out Loud programming pursuant to local and state law.
- Homeschooled students may participate by competing in a contest at a local school (at the school’s discretion) or with other local homeschooled students. Contact your state coordinator for specific guidelines.
- Only versions of poems from the official print or online Poetry Out Loud anthology may be used in the contest. The official anthology will be made available on the Poetry Out Loud website by September 1, 2023.
- For more information about student, poem, and competition rules and eligibility, please visit PoetryOutLoud.org/About-Poetry-Out-Loud/Rules-Eligibility/.
Prizes
Each winner at the state level receives $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to Washington, DC, to compete at the National Finals. The state winner’s school/organization receives $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. The first runner-up in each state receives $100, with $200 for their school/organization. At the national finals, a total of $50,000 in awards and school/organizational stipends are awarded annually including a $20,000 award for the National Champion, $10,000 for 2nd place, $5,000 for 3rd place, and $1,000 for 4th-9th places. The representing schools/organizations of each of the top nine finalists receive $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. Visit PoetryOutLoud.org/FAQ/ for more information.
2022-23 Poetry Out Loud Program Results
- Emily McNeal, a senior from Stage Left Players in Lisbon, OH, represented the Northeast Ohio region at the Ohio Arts Council's State Finals competition in Columbus in March 2023.
- Hiba Loukssi, a senior from Xenia High School in Xenia, OH, won the State Finals and competed at the National Semifinals in Washington, DC, in May 2023.
- Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri, a junior at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Indiana, was named the 2023 Poetry Out Loud National Champion at the National Finals in Washington, DC, in May 2023.
- Congratulations to all students who competed!
2023 National Poetry Out Loud Champion Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri
Image courtesy of PoetryOutLoud.org
