Poetry Out Loud | SDPB

If you would like to participate or learn more about this contest, contact:

South Dakota Arts Council
Rebecca Cruse
Assistant Director
605-773-5084
[email protected]

Find them on Social Media:
Facebook: SouthDakota ArtsCouncil

Poetry Out Loud curriculum materials include the online poetry anthology, a comprehensive teacher's guide of the National Finals performances, lesson plans, and promotional and media guides. Hard copies of materials are free for teachers participating in the official program.

While teachers, students, and poetry lovers everywhere can use this website and its free materials to organize their own contests, the official contest is limited to the programs run by each state's arts agency. If you want to participate in the official program, please contact your state arts agency.

 "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a delightful poem. It's even more delightful when performed by South Dakota's 2023 Poetry Out Loud winner.

Grace Powell, who competed in the Poetry Out Loud National Semifinals in Washington, D.C., joined In the Moment to discuss and read poetry.

POETRY CONTEST: Poetry Out Loud is a recitation program and competition that urges the teaching of poetry as an oral art form in high schools. Schools that participate in Poetry Out Loud enter students into a preliminary round, from which the state finalists are chosen.

Poetry Out Loud was created with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, collaborating with State Arts Agencies. Through Poetry Out Loud, students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

In South Dakota, POL is a program administered by the South Dakota Arts Council, an office of the state Department of Tourism, in partnership with Arts South Dakota and SDPB.