SC Arts Commission Press Releases
Contest Opens S.C. Students' Minds and Mouths to Poetry
Dec. 17, 2008
Media Contact:
Milly Hough
(803) 734-8698
COLUMBIA, S.C. –Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice" and T.S. Eliot's "Preludes" are two of many poems that S.C. students will be reciting during the 2008-2009 "Poetry Out Loud" contest. Students from 38 high schools are competing in one of three regional competitions (Lowcountry, Midlands and Upstate) Jan. 17-25 for the chance to advance to the state finals March 21 in Columbia, and finally to the national finals April 28 in Washington, D.C.
The competition schedule is as follows:
Midlands – Jan. 17 at 2 p.m., Morris College, 100 W College St., Sumter
Upstate – Jan. 24 at 2 p.m., Hub-Bub, 149 S. Daniel Morgan Ave., Spartanburg
Lowcountry – Jan. 25, time TBA, Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun St., Charleston
Three finalists from each region advance to state finals. The state champion will receive $200, a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books for their school library, and an all-expense paid trip to national finals. A runner up will also receive $100 and their library will receive a $200 poetry book stipend. A'Derrica Roseboro from York Comprehensive High School is the 2007-2008 South Carolina state champion.
"Poetry Out Loud" is a national recitation contest created in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage while gaining an appreciation of poetry. Last year more than 200,000 students in all U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands competed. The winner received a $20,000 scholarship.
Collaborating with the Arts Commission to carry out this year's statewide program are the Humanities Council SC, Hub City Writers Project, Sumter County Cultural Commission and the Lowcountry Initiative for the Literary Arts. For more, contact Susanna Brailsford at SBrailsford@arts.sc.gov or (803) 734-8639.
About SCAC:
The South Carolina Arts Commission is the state agency charged with creating a thriving arts environment that benefits all South Carolinians, regardless of their location or circumstances. Created by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967, the Arts Commission is working to increase public participation in the arts by providing services, grants and leadership initiatives in three areas: arts education, community arts development and artist development. Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., the Arts Commission is funded by the state of South Carolina and by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.SouthCarolinaArts.com or call (803) 734-8696.
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