COLORADO TEEN POETS TO COMPETE IN VIRTUAL NATIONAL COMPETITION
The 2021 Colorado Poetry Out Loud competition will be held in early March and broadcast by PBS 12.
DENVER (March 3, 2021)—Poetry Out Loud (POL), a national arts education program promoting poetry and performance, has chapters throughout the U.S., including Colorado, with teens competing to participate in the national competition, where more than $50,000 in scholarship funds await them. In accordance with the National Endowment of the Arts guidelines, finalists from high schools around Colorado will participate in a video submission-based competition streaming on YouTube, beginning on Saturday, March 13.
PBS 12 will premiere the 2021 Colorado Poetry Out Loud Virtual State Finals Showcase on March 18 at 7:00 PM MT. This is the first time Colorado’s POL Finals will be broadcast, and this production will be a condensed version of the Virtual State Finals that will premiere on YouTube Saturday, March 13. Kicked off by Governor Polis, emceed by CO Poet Laureate Bobby LeFebre, and judged by some of Colorado’s finest poets and performers, the PBS show Words by Heart: A Showcase of the 2021 Colorado Poetry Out Loud Virtual State Finals imbues the spirit of competition and community of the live State Finals to the virtual competition and celebrates the creativity, talent, and resilience of Colorado’s teens despite the overwhelming adversities they face this year.
A program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The aim is to help students master public speaking skills, build self confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. In Colorado, Poetry Out Loud is sponsored and managed by Lighthouse Writers Workshop and Colorado Creative Industries. State finals will premiere on YouTube starting March 13. For more information about Poetry Out Loud in Colorado, click here.
Kiya Cockrell, 2020’s state champion, won with her performances of “Ode to the Hotel Near the Children’s Hospital” by Kevin Young, and “Grief” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Having written poems about social injustice and racism, Kiya watched a social justice movement unfold during her recovery from COVID-19. Now, a college student, you can read her profile by CBS local news here.
Key dates in the Poetry Out Loud program:
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March 13, 2021 — Full-length Colorado Virtual State Finals premieres on YouTube
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March 18, 2021 — Words by Heart: A Showcase of Colorado Poetry Out Loud Virtual State Finals premieres on PBS 12
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May 2 & 27, 2021 — Virtual National Finals
About Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide program that encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, aims to help students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. The Colorado chapter of Poetry Out Loud is presented by Colorado Creative Industries in partnership with Lighthouse Writers Workshop, collaboratively curating free curriculum and creating events and competitions throughout the state.
About Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Lighthouse Writers Workshop is nonprofit literary arts center, the largest of its kind in the Rocky Mountain West. Lighthouse has been a thriving independent creative writing program supporting writers and the community for more than 20 years, offering quality writing instruction, author discussions and readings, and community engagement programs for writers and readers of all ages, levels, and backgrounds. Through community efforts with children, veterans and people experiencing homelessness and city-wide collective efforts like Write Denver, Lighthouse invites people of all ages and backgrounds to connect through stories to transform lives in powerful and positive ways. For more information, visit lighthousewriters.org.
About Colorado Creative Industries
Colorado Creative Industries is a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Established to capitalize on the immense potential for our creative sector to enhance economic growth in Colorado, the mission of Colorado Creative Industries is to promote, support and expand the creative industries to drive Colorado’s economy, grow jobs and enhance our quality of life. coloradocreativeindustries.org.
