Write Out Loud presents READ - IMAGINE - CREATE 2017

Write Out Loud - an organization founded in 2007 with a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading short stories aloud for a live audience - announces the 2017 READ IMAGINE CREATE awards ceremony. The event will take place on Monday, April 10th at 7pm a the Old Town Theatre.

For this annual program, participating middle and high school students READ any work by Emily Dickinson. They re-IMAGINE the images and themes from literature and CREATE a project in an artistic medium that is important to them. This year, Write Out Loud received nearly 400 submissions in three categories from 14 San Diego middle and high schools. The top three submissions in each category will receive cash prizes with special recognition for selected other entries. Visual Art finalists will be on display throughout the month of April at Mission Valley Library, El Cajon Library, Skyline Library and Linda Vista Library.

Write Out Loud Artistic Director, Veronica Murphy shared "with the continued cutbacks in arts funding throughout our schools, programs like READ IMAGINE CREATE play a much needed role. Encouraging students to read and then connect those literary concepts to an artistic outlet that engages them instills a lifelong love of both literature and artistic expression. It's astonishing that out of hundreds of entries the concepts are so different, unique to each student. It is a joy to see such well thought out and personal artistic inspirations, and we look forward to sharing them with the community."

CATEGORIES: All submissions inspired by reading Emily Dickinson

1. LITERARY ART: Stories, poetry, monologues, dialogues, biographies, plays, etc.

2. VISUAL ART: Illustrations, paintings, sculpture, books, mixed media, surf/skateboard designs, etc.

3. PERFORMANCE/MEDIA ART: Dance, Music composition, film, claymation, etc.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS REPRESENTED: In 2017, 14 area schools participated

Community Montessori School

Dehesha Charter School

Granite Hills High School

Grant K-8

Grossmont Middle College High School

Mesa Verde Middle School

Morse High School

New Dawn High School

Rhoades School

Serra High School

Sacred Heart Parish School

San Diego SCPA

Southwest High School

Standley Middle School

Judges for READ - IMAGINE - CREATE are chosen from professional artists from each submission category. This year - judges include Mara Fenner, Jo Lynn Murphy, Susan Platt, Judy Reeves, Nellie Scott, Carey Wall, Steven J. Warner and Samantha Wilson.

In addition to coordinating READ IMAGINE CREATE for middle and high school students, WRITE OUT LOUD provides the community five other core programs serving over 16,000 people annually. Additional programs include Story Concerts, TwainFest - a free literary celebration in August in Old Town, Stories for Seniors, StoryBox Theatre for elementary students and Poetry Out Loud for high schoolers.

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