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For Immediate Release
May 23, 2007
Media Contact
- Allison Tratner
- 609.292.4524
- allison@arts.sos.state.nj.us
NJ Student is a Finalist at NEA 2007 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest
(Trenton, NJ) - Naja Selby, a junior at Newark Arts High, was among the 12 finalists selected in the 2nd Annual national Poetry Out Loud competition held earlier this month in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation, the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest involved more than 1,000 high schools and more than 100,000 high school students across the country in this year’s competition. Fifty-one state champions participated in the Poetry Out Loud national finals to compete for the national title and more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes.
As a national finalist, Selby received a $1,000 scholarship prize and two roundtrip airline tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines. The finalists' schools received $500 each for the purchase of poetry books. The national champion, Amanda Fernandez, from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in the District of Columbia received a $20,000 scholarship prize. The second-place winner, Branden Emanual Wellington of Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, received a $10,000 scholarship prize, and Alanna Rivera, of Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia, the third place winner won a $5,000 scholarship. The other finalists include Elizabeth Ann McCormick of West Virginia, Robi Mahan of Illinois, Dean Muir of Kentucky, Shuqiao Song of Nebraska, Joshua Kelly of Montana, Fantasia Lonjose of New Mexico, Janessa Nickell of South Dakota, and Amanda E. Fujiki of Utah.
During the two-day event held on April 30th and May 1st, 51 Poetry Out Loud champions from every state and the District of Columbia, competed in three semifinal rounds based on geographic region. Selby and eleven other state champions advanced to finals. Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including physical presence, articulation, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, and accuracy. Students performed poems from the Poetry Out Loud print and online anthologies (http://www.poetryoutloud.org/). During the national competition, Selby recited “Chicago” by Carl Sandberg and “Ma Rainey” by Sterling A. Brown.
Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by building on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the popularity of rap music among youth. Through Poetry Out Loud, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. Now in its second year of national competition, Poetry Out Loud has inspired thousands of high school students to discover classic and contemporary poetry.
The National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation launched the Poetry Out Loud nationwide in 2006. This year is the first year that the New Jersey’s Poetry Out Loud program was launched statewide. Cosponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Playwrights Theatre of NJ, this year over 3,000 students in 34 New Jersey high schools competed, 10 of them 3-day poetry and 3-day performing arts residencies incorporated to achieve an even deeper experience in the art of writing and presenting poetry. Other program partners included the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Discover Jersey Arts and NJN. Three regional competitions were held that sent two champions each to the state finals on March 22, 2007 at NJN Studios in Trenton. There Naja Selby was selected as New Jersey’s State Champion winning a stipend for herself and her school and an all expense paid trip to the National Finals.
The National Finals are the culmination of efforts by many partners. The NEA and the Poetry Foundation have contributed support for administration of the program, educational materials, and prizes for both the state and National Finals. Each State Arts Agency implemented the program in high schools in each state, often in collaboration with local arts organizations. The Poetry Out Loud National Finals was administered by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Additional support for the 2007 National Finals has been provided by Southwest Airlines.
To find out how to get involved in the 2008 Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, visit http://www.poetryoutloud.org/.
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