Local Teens to Participate in National Poetry Recitation Competition POETRY OUT LOUD

The National Poetry Foundation, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and managed in California by the California Arts Council and regionally, by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture presents POETRY OUT LOUD, a national poetry recitation competition for high school students. San Diego Regional Finals take place on Tuesday, February 6th at 6:30 pm at the San Diego Central Library, Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common in the Neil Morgan Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The Poetry Out Loud competition has been administered locally by San Diego nonprofit, WRITE OUT LOUD since 2014. Under WRITE OUT LOUD's direction, the program has grown from serving 1 school to 9 schools, expanding its service area to include students from South Bay to East County. Each participating student chooses and prepares three poems for presentation from the National Poetry Out Loud Anthology. http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems-and-performance/find-poems. This year hundreds of students are competing at the school level and top performers will compete for a chance to represent San Diego at the State Finals in Sacramento. San Diego Central Library is an invaluable partner in providing this opportunity to young people from throughout the county.

Write Out Loud is an organization founded in 2007 with a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading short stories aloud for a live audience. In addition to coordinating Poetry Out Loud for high school students, WRITE OUT LOUD provides the community with five other core programs serving over 18,000 people annually. Additional programs include Story Concerts, TwainFest - a free literary celebration each August in Old Town, Stories for Seniors, StoryBox Theatre for elementary students and Read Imagine Create for teens.

At this year's Regional Finals, poems will be presented by finalists representing the following schools:

• Bayfront Charter School - Chula Vista
• Canyon Crest Academy - Carmel Valley
• Grossmont Middle College High School - El Cajon
• Mater Dei Catholic High School - Chula Vista
• Mt. Helix Charter High School - La Mesa
• Academy of Our Lady of Peace - Normal Heights
• Valley Center High School - Valley Center
• San Diego School for Creative and Performing Arts - Paradise Hills
• Southwest High School - South San Diego

Judges for POETRY OUT LOUD include Gerry Braun, Chief of Staff for City Attorney and Winner of Peg Leg Smith Liar's Contest and Copley Ring of Truth Award; Brandon Cesmat, Poet and Educator; Charles Harrington Elster, Author and Radio commentator; Mark Christopher Lawrence, Actor; Brenda Sarah Marsh Rebelo, Poet; Actor; Rob Lutfy, Associate Artistic Director - Cygnet Theatre Company; Tim West, Actor, Director, Playwright. Additional information can be found at www.writeoutloudsd.com. The San Diego finalist, who will continue on to the State Finals in Sacramento on March 18-19, will be announced that evening. The winner of the State competition will go on to the National Competition in DC on April 23-25.