---District 3 Regional Finals POL Recitation Winners:
1 st Place: Jessica Lockett, Ramsey High School
2 nd Place: Derrick Spencer, Ramsey High School
3 rd Place: Traycye Pizarro, Tarrant High School
4 th Place: Melinda Maulden, Brookwood High School
---Original Poetry Winners:
1 st Place: Derrick Spencer, Ramsey High School
2 nd Place: Jessica Lockett, Ramsey High School
3 rd Place: Melinda Maulden, Brookwood High School
4 th Place Demontae Hoskins, Greensboro High School
Competition sponsors include the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, Alabama State Council on the Arts, and the Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County.
About the Program
Recitation and performance are major new trends in poetry. There has been a recent resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music. Poetry Out Loud builds on that momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with State Arts Agencies of the United States to support the expansion of Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation's youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. This exciting program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.
After successful pilot programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, the second phase of Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools across America in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. Last year, over 300,000 students competed. William Farley from Virginia was named National Champion on April 28, 2009.
The program will continue to grow during the 2009-2010 school year, culminating in the 2010 National Finals in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2010.
2009 POETRY OUT LOUD - DISTRICT 3 WINNERS ANNOUNCED
(Tuscaloosa) The Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County recently hosted the District 3 “Poetry Out Loud” (POL) regional finals competition featuring local high school students in the West Alabama area. Contestants competed in both a phase requiring the recitation of memorized poetry and one in which they recited their own original compositions. Traveling to Montgomery, AL on February 26, 2010, the winners will compete in the state-wide division at Alabama State University and the chance to travel to Washington, D.C. for the final round.
POL Finalists: (front, l-r) Traycye Pizarro,
Jessica Lockett, Melinda Maulden, Michaela Martin
(back, l-r) Demontae Hoskins, Elicia Hoskins, Derrick Spencer
Judges for the day were Abraham Smith, MFA, Instructor, English Department, The University of Alabama; Tina Fitch, MFA, Theatre Tuscaloosa Executive Producer; Patti White, Ph.D., Professor of Creative Writing, The University of Alabama; Accuracy Judge: Kirk Pinho, MFA Candidate, The Program in Creative Writing at The University of Alabama.