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SUNY To Host Fifth Annual “Poetry Out Loud” Competition

by NYSCA
02/8/2018

Albany – The State University of New York today announced its continuing partnership with the Teachers & Writers Collaborative, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and Poetry Foundation to facilitate New York’s Poetry Out Loud Contest, which is held throughout the United States.

Beginning this week, SUNY campuses across the state will host regional recitation competitions for high school students.

“This program affords SUNY campuses the opportunity to host an inspiring competition within communities across New York State,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. “Through events like Poetry Out Loud, we are able to appreciate literary works that we would not have been exposed to otherwise, and provide high school students with invaluable learning experiences. We are grateful to our partners for making these events possible.”

“With more than 11,000 students involved at the local level this year, there is even more opportunity to introduce high school students to a variety of SUNY campuses,” said Amy Swauger, Executive Director, Teachers & Writers Collaborative. “We hear again and again how wonderful these events are. Our thanks to SUNY for making these regional competitions such successful events.”

"A significant part of the New York State Council on the Arts’ mission is to bring the arts to all 62 counties throughout our state. We salute all our partners — SUNY, the Teachers & Writers Collaborative, National Endowment for the Arts, and Poetry Foundation — for their fine work on Poetry Out Loud, and for their shared commitment to making poetry a part of the everyday life of New Yorkers,” said Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Chair and CEO, NY State Council on the Arts. “Exposure to the arts and creative thinking provide a substantive foundation for ‘American know-how,’ and is an integral component of the Empire State’s economic engine. We appreciate the lasting impact that this literary competition can have on the hearts and minds of our contestants, and their families, and look forward to this, and other continued collaborations in the service of the arts.”

The competition schedule, which is free and open to the public, is as follows:

  • Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City Region, Katie Murphy Amphitheatre, Thursday, February 8, 6:00 p.m. (snow date: N/A)
  • SUNY New Paltz, Mid-Hudson Region, College Terrace, Thursday, February 8, 6:00 p.m. (snow date: February 15)
  • Onondaga Community College, Central Region, Storer Auditorium, Thursday, February 8, 6:00 p.m. (snow date: February 13)
  • Nassau Community College, Long Island Region, College Center Building, Friday, February 9, 6:00 p.m. (snow date: N/A)
  • SUNY Global Center, New York City Region, The Global Classroom, Friday, February 9, 6:00 p.m. (snow date: February 12)
  • Stony Brook University, Long Island Region, Humanities 1006, Monday, February 12, 6:30 p.m. (snow date: February 26)
  • Hudson Valley Community College, Capital Region, Auditorium at Bulmer Telecommunications Center, Wednesday, February 14, 6:00 p.m.
  • SUNY Oneonta, Mohawk Valley Region, Hunt Union, Waterfront Café, Wednesday, February 15, 6:00 p.m.
  • College at Brockport, Finger Lakes Region, Seymour Ballroom, Wednesday, February 28, 6:00 p.m.
  • Purchase College, Mid-Hudson Region, Admissions Buffer Room, Wednesday, February 28, 6:00 p.m.

Following these competitions, the state finals will be held at Everson Museum in Syracuse on Friday, March 9. The 2018 National Finals will be held April 23-25 at the Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC.

About The State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, with 64 college and university campuses located within 30 miles of every home, school, and business in the state. In 2015–16, SUNY served nearly 1.3 million students, including nearly 600,000 in credit-bearing courses and programs and more than 700,000 through continuing education and community outreach programs. SUNY students and faculty across the state make significant contributions to research and discovery, resulting in nearly $1 billion of externally sponsored activity each year. There are 3 million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu.