PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa
Contact: Sharron Rudowski
education@tuscarts.org
(205) 345-9801
2018 POETRY OUT LOUD DISTRICT 3 COMPETITION ON
NOVEMBER 15, 2018
(Tuscaloosa, Ala.) The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center will be the setting for the District 3 Poetry Out Loud regional finals for West-Central Alabama students on Nov. 15, 2018. The competition begins at 9 a.m. at the DWCAC in Tuscaloosa and is free and open to the public.
Poetry Out Loud is a competition that encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage. After successful pilot programs in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, POL was launched in high schools nationwide in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. POL has grown every year with over 365,000 students competing.
Prior to this final round in Tuscaloosa, the students will participate in a primary competition at their respective high schools. Students competing in the District 3 POL program are eligible to compete in the national/anthology portion of the program, the original poetry portion or both. The Alabama State Council on the Arts sponsors the original poetry competition. Traveling to Montgomery, Ala. in 2019, the winners in both the recitation and original poetry portions will compete in the state-wide competition. The winner in the national/anthology portion will then have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. for a final round.
Sponsors include the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, Alabama State Council on the Arts and The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa. The Region 3 Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud is Sharron Rudowski, Education Director for The Arts Council.
The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about The Arts Council, Bama Theatre or CAC, patrons should LIKE the Facebook page “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” and follow tuscarts on Twitter. Call 205-345-9801 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.
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