New Paltz to host “Poetry Out Loud” competition

NEW PALTZ –The State University of New York at New Paltz will host the Mid-Hudson Region’s Poetry Out Loud competition for high school students on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. in the Coykendall Science Auditorium on the New Paltz campus.

Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest for high schoolers, created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation and administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states. In New York, Poetry Out Loud is managed by Teachers & Writers Collaborative on behalf of the New York State Council on the Arts.

“SUNY campuses are ideal settings for community events like this, and we are thrilled to be opening up our facilities and providing an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to volunteer as part of this spirited competition,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Poetry Out Loud is a valuable and enriching experience for all involved and an important component of SUNY’s K-12 partnerships and Vibrant Communities initiative. Thank you to our partners and volunteers across the state, and best of luck to the competitors.”

The State Finals will be held at SUNY System Administration in Albany, N.Y., on Tuesday, March 4.

The competition, co-sponsored by The Hudson Valley Writing Project, is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Associate Professors Nancy Johnson at johnsonn@newpaltz.edu and/or Tom Meyer at meyert@newpaltz.edu.