San Bernardino, CA — The 2019 San Bernardino County finals for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest will be held on February 2nd,  from 2-5pm at the Garcia Center for the Arts in San Bernardino. The competition is presented by Arts Connection, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the California Arts Council.

Poetry Out Loud encourages students to explore poetry by offering free educational materials, opportunities to work with local poets, and a dynamic recitation competition. The contest uses a pyramid structure; beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to county, state, and ultimately national finals in Washington, DC.

This year’s county contest includes competitors from Big Bear High School, The Grove School, PAL Academy, and W.A. Carter High School. Contestants will recite works they have selected from an anthology of more than 900 classic and contemporary poems. Participants in the program have benefited from materials created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, which are free to download at poetryoutloud.org.

The winner of the county finals and their parent or guardian will be flown to Sacramento to participate in the state finals on March 10th through 11th. The state champion will receive an all-expense-paid trip (with an adult chaperone) to compete in the national finals in Washington, DC, on April 30th through May 1st. The Poetry Out Loud national finals will present a total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends, with a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.
About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. For more information, visit arts.gov.

About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative partnerships, prizes, and programs. For more information, visit poetryfoundation.org.

About Arts Connection
Arts Connection is the arts council for San Bernardino County, designated by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors to serve as the State and Local Partner to the California Arts Council. Arts Connection is dedicated to stimulating creative and economic vitality and enriching lives throughout the communities they serve by providing support, promotion, education, and advocacy for the arts.