Hosted by Arkansas poet Kai Coggin, some of the best high school student poets face off in Poetry Out Loud for a chance to represent Arkansas in a national competition with a prize of $20,000. Judges are acclaimed educator Stacey McAdoo, educator and spoken word artist Leron McAdoo, Arkansas PBS Education Research Coordinator Stacey Pendergrast, and former Poet Laureate of Arkansas Jo McDougall. Catch it on the Arkansas Arts Council’s Facebook page at 10 a.m. More details:
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Arts Council, in partnership with Arkansas Heritage, is pleased to announce Arkansas Poetry Out Loud, the statewide poetry recitation competition, will be held virtually Friday, March 11 at 10:00 a.m.
High school students who won poetry competitions through their schools or educational groups will compete for the state title. The Arkansas champion will have the opportunity to compete at the national level for a chance to win $20,000 this spring.
Attending the virtual Arkansas Poetry Out Loud event is free and open to the public. It will be streamed on the Arkansas Arts Council’s Facebook page.
The host for this year’s event is Kai Coggin, published poet, author and 2021 Governor’s Arts Award recipient.Judges for this year’s competition are:
Stacey McAdoo – 2019 Teacher of the Year, professional development facilitator and entrepreneur.
Leron McAdoo – Nationally recognized spoken word poet, artist, motivational speaker and educator.
Stacy Pendergrast – Education Research Coordinator for Arkansas PBS, writer and educator.
Jo McDougall – Poet Laureate of Arkansas from 2018-2021, Porter Prize Lifetime Achievement Award winner (2019) and mentor.
Arkansas Poetry Out Loud helps students develop their oration, presentation and creative skills while also increasing self-confidence and instilling a love of poetry. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages youth to learn, appreciate and perform poetry.