NEC to Host Poetry Out Loud Regional Semi-Finals
Pictured: Participants from the 2009 Poetry Out Loud regional semifinals, held at NEC in March 2009.
The 2010 Poetry Out Loud Western Regional Semi-Final Competition will be held in the Simon Center Great Room on Friday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. Ten New Hampshire high school students from the west region will recite up to three poems, hoping to be selected as one of the twelve finalists who will move on to the State Championship at Keene State College on March 20. The New Hampshire champion, along with all state winners, will travel to the National Finals in Washington D.C. in late-April.
According to Rodger Martin, Director of the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud Program, this contest is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Each of the 31 participants has received a merit scholarship award from both New England College and Southern New Hampshire University worth up to $15,000. Colby Sawyer College will award two scholarships at the State Championship.
Sponsors for this event include The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and The Badger Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. For additional information, please call Catherine O’Brian, NHSCA, at 603-271-0795.
