NJ Poetry Out Loud 2009-10

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Poetry Out Loud

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NJ Poetry Out Loud 2009-10

Poetry Out Loud

Program Overview | Regional Contests | State Finals | National Finals | Regional Partners | Contacts | Program History

Program Overview

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 (POL) builds on this momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word and theatre into the English class (as well as Drama, Forensics, and other appropriate classes).

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation joined together to create Poetry Out loud, a program that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. Students compete in high schools throughout New Jersey, each school sending a finalist to a Regional Contest. Winners at the regional level compete in the State Finals taking place in March at Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor of New Jersey. The winner of the State Finals will represent New Jersey at the National Poetry Out Loud Finals in Washington DC in April.

Administrated by state arts agencies of the United States and now in its fifth year, Poetry Out Loud serves each state, the U.S Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, with more than 300,000 students participating annually. The inspiration for this competition is to promote the art of poetry in both the classroom and the community. This program provides an entry point for many students to learn to love poetry and find poems that will stay with them for a lifetime.

See what teachers are saying about Poetry Out Loud >>

Regional Contests

2009-10 Regional Contest Winners

Region 1 Contest Winners
(Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May,
Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem Counties)

Morgan Jerkins
Williamstown High School | Williamstown, NJ

Julia Gosin
Mainland Regional High School | Linwood, NJ

Region 2 Contest Winners
(Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth,
Ocean, Somerset and Union Counties)

Joanna Latini
Villa Victoria Academy | Ewing, NJ

Bianca Nichole Hughes
St. Mary of the Assumption High School | Elizabeth, NJ

Region 3 Contest Winners
(Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris,
Passaic, Sussex and Warren Counties)

Shamsuddin Abdul-Hamid
Arts High School | Newark, NJ

Jessica Leigh Anderson
Kinnelon High School | Kinnelon, NJ

Melanie Harrison
Livingston High School | Livingston, NJ

* due to a tie three regional winners were selected from Region 3

State Finals

drumthwacket

Congratulations to the 2009-10 Poetry Out Loud NJ State Champion and Runner-Up

State Champion: Shamsuddin Abdul-Hamid | Arts High School | Newark, NJ
Shamsuddin receives $200 and and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC to compete in the National Finals.
His school receives $500 toward the purchase of poetry books for its library.

State Runner-Up: Joanna Latini | Villa Victoria Academy | Ewing, NJ
Joanna receives $100 and her school receives $200 toward the purchase of poetry books for its library.

The State Finals were held on March 18, 2010
at Drumthwacket, the official residence of the Governor of NJ, in Princeton.

National Finals

State Champion Shamsuddin Abdul-Hamid will be representing New Jersey
at the 2010 Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 25-27, 2010 in Washington, DC
where he will compete for a Grand Prize of a $20,000 college scholarship.

All monetary prizes are made available by the NEA and The Poetry Foundation.
Airfare is provided by Southwest Airlines.

Check out the Best Performances of the Poetry Out Loud 2009 National Finals >>

Program History

In 2005-06 the first NJ Poetry Out Loud was launched by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as a pilot program in 7 high schools representing different regions of NJ. The Arts Council partnered with Playwrights Theatre of NJ/New Jersey Writers Project, which brings writing residencies to over 150 schools statewide annually. The pilot integrated an artist residency into the POL program. The 7 school finalists went on to compete in the state final at NJN studios in Trenton. Our 2006 state winner, Teika Chapman, Trenton Central High School, went on to proudly represent our state at the National Finals in Washington, DC.

In 2006-07 NJPOL expanded statewide and a total of 34 high schools representing 14 counties participated. Three regional contests conducted at NJ theatres sent 6 regional champions to the state finals at NJN Studios on March 22, 2007. Our 2007 state champion, Naja Selby, Arts High School, Newark, represented NJ proudly at the National Finals in Washington, DC and became one of only 12 national finalists.

In 2007-08 the Council continued to expand the program statewide. The program partners expanded to include Bergen County Division of Historic and Cultural Affairs and Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts. A total of 44 high schools representing 14 counties participated and expanded to include a home school association. State Champion, Allison Strong, Union Hill High School, Union City, represented our state proudly and was in the top five students of 52 competing in the National Finals in Washington, DC.

In 2008-09 the number of participating students grew from 5,000 to 8,500. For the first time 2 regional Teacher Workshops were offered and State Champion Ijeoma Egekeze, Piscataway High School, represented New Jersey proudly in the National Finals in Washington, DC.

In 2009-10 NJ Poetry Out Loud celebrated its fifth anniversary with a record number of participants as 82 high schools and 1 home school association participated and 17,000 students got involved in reading, discussing and reciting poetry. Shamsuddin Abdul-Hamid, Arts High School, Newark was named State Champion and will be heading to the National Finals in Washington, DC on April 25-27, 2010. We wish Shamsuddin the best of luck!

Regional Partners

We are pleased to have two NJ arts organizations as Regional Program partners this year. Each partner, along with the Arts Council, will manage one of the three regions and conduct all arrangements for the regional contest. The state has been divided into three regions by counties. It is important to note which County and Region your school is in on the registration form and to submit the form to the regional contact as noted:

REGION 1: Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts
Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem Counties
Contact: Noreen Scott-Garrity, Deputy Director for Outreach/Curator of Education & Community Arts
E-mail: ngarrity@camden.rutgers.edu
Phone: 856-225-6306

REGION 2: New Jersey State Council on the Arts
Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset and Union Counties
Contact: Robin Middleman, Senior Program Officer, Arts Education
E-mail: robinm@arts.sos.state.nj.us
Phone: 609-984-6815

REGION 3: Bergen County Division of Cultural & Heritage Affairs
Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren Counties
Contact: Carol Messer, Executive Director
Email: cmesser@co.bergen.nj.us
Phone: 201-336-7276

NJPOL Program Partner/Residency Program Partner:
Playwrights Theatre of NJ
Contact: Alysia Souder, Director of Program Development
Email: asouder@ptnj.org
Phone: 973-514-1787 x 15

State Poetry Out Loud Contacts

New Jersey State Poetry Out Loud Coordinator:
Robin Middleman: Senior Program Officer, Arts Education, New Jersey State Council on the Arts
phone: 609.984.6815 | email: robinm@arts.sos.state.nj.us

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