Write Out Loud Announces Regional Winner of POETRY OUT LOUD

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 winner of the POETRY OUT LOUD Regional Finals. The Regional finals were held on Tuesday, February 6th at the San Diego Central Library.

The winner of the Regional Finals and the new San Diego Champion is Signe Laundrup. Signe lives in El Cajon and is a Senior at Grossmont Middle College High School on the campus of Grossmont College. She will represent San Diego County at the Poetry Out Loud State Finals in Sacramento on March 12 and 13. The winner in Sacramento will advance to the National Finals in Washington D.C. in April.

First Runner-Up is Nicolas Sebastian from Valley Center High School who will step in for Ms. Laundrup if she cannot participate for any reason.

Competitors from all schools had a canon of poetry to choose from for their poetry recitation, provided by the Poetry Foundation. Champion, Signe Laundrup recited "I Am" by John Clare and "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen. Runner-up, Nicolas Sebastian recited "Dirge in the Woods" by George Meredith and "Hope is the Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson.

Poetry Out Loud is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation. It is managed in California by the California Arts Council and is coordinated in San Diego County by Write Out Loud. Participating schools included Grossmont Middle College High School, Valley Center High School, Bay Front Charter High School, Helix Charter High School, Mater Dei Catholic High School and San Diego Virtual School.

Judges for POETRY OUT LOUD included: Charles Harrington Elster, Author; Mark Christopher Lawrence, Actor; Rob Lutfy, Associate Artistic Director - Cygnet Theatre Company; Paul Maley, Actor, Playwright, Educator; Steve Torres-Roman, Teen Services Librarian - San Diego Central Library; Steven J Warner, actor and filmmaker; Tim West, Actor, Director, Playwright.

To inquire about Poetry Out Loud for next year please contact WRITE OUT LOUD at by calling 619-297-8953. Additional information can be found at www.writeoutloudsd.com.

In addition to coordinating Poetry Out Loud for 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 Read Imagine Create for teens.