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About Poetry Out Loud

Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national poetry recitation program for students in grades 9-12, or the age/grade equivalent.

National Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies of the United States.

In New Jersey, POL is a project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in collaboration with Count Basie Center for the Arts. Mayo Performing Arts Center is proud to be a Region 4 partner for the competition.

Poetry Out Loud encourages students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.

Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 3 million students and 50,000 teachers from 10,000 schools in every state, Washington DC, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

2023-2024 POETRY OUT LOUD

Yumna Juha, a sophomore from Montgomery High School in Skillman, NJ, and Sophia Padilla, a sophomore from Morris County School of Technology in Denville, NJ were named the Region 4 Finalists at the 2024 New Jersey Poetry Out Loud Region 4 competition, part of the National Poetry Out Loud recitation program. The adjudication took place on February 5, 2024 at MPAC in Morristown, NJ.

Yumna Jua and Sophia Padilla will represent Region 4 at the Poetry Out Loud State Finals on March 14, 2024, at Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank. Participants from 6 regions throughout the state will compete for the title of State Champion. The State Champion will move on to represent New Jersey at the National Finals in Washington D.C. later this spring.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the 55 state and jurisdictional arts agencies.

Congratulations to the Region 4 Finalists. For more information about New Jersey Poetry Out Loud, the State Finals, and more, visit www.njpol.org

For more information on this year’s competition please email Jenny Boeckel, Education Manager: jboeckel@mayoarts.org.

Poetry Out Loud 2024

Poetry Out Loud 2023

Our Mission

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey.

MPAC is grateful to the following donors whose major support helps to sustain the general operating needs of our organization:

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