Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation contest that celebrates the power of the spoken word and a mastery of public speaking skills while cultivating self-confidence and an appreciation of students’ literary heritage as they take poetry from the page to the stage. Poetry Out Loud has inspired hundreds of thousands of high school students to discover and appreciate both classic and contemporary poetry.
Click Here to Register Your School for Poetry Out Loud
Important Dates
School Registration Deadline: Friday, December 21, 2018
School-Level Contest Deadline: Friday, February 8, 2019
Deadline to Register your School Winner as a Semi-Finalist: Friday, February 15, 2019
Massachusetts Regional Semi-Final Contests: Saturday, March 2 - Monday, March 4, 2019
Massachusetts State Finals: Sunday, March 10, 2019
National Finals in Washington, DC: Monday, April 29 - Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Poetry Out Loud in Massachusetts: History and Statistics
Why participate in Massachusetts Poetry Out Loud?
Get Involved in Poetry Out Loud
For more information on Poetry Out Loud, visit the official website at poetryoutloud.org. For information about the Massachusetts competition, please contact Meg O'Brien, Interim Co-Director of Education, at 617 273 1558 or email poetryoutloud@huntingtontheatre.org.
"POETRY OUT LOUD helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. By encouraging your students to study, memorize, and perform some of the most influential and timeless poems of the English language, you immerse them in powerful expression and provocative ideas. Although many students may initially be nervous about reciting in front of their peers, the experience will prove invaluable — not only in school, but also in life. Much of the future success of students will depend on how well they present themselves in public. Public speaking is a skill people use every day on both the workplace and the community."— National Endowment for the Arts & The Poetry Foundation
Presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the Mass Cultural Council and the Huntington Theatre Company.