(Lewiston, ME) On Friday, March 11th, ten high school students from across the state will take to the stage of the Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston to compete against their peers for the title of Maine State Poetry Out Loud Champion. The winner will have the honor of representing Maine in the national finals of the competition in Washington, D.C. this April.

The competition began in the fall with 8,500 students competing at the classroom level with the help of 250 teachers from 45 public, private and parochial high schools from across the state. Following a pyramid structure, each classroom produced a class winner and each participating school then held a competition to determine a school champion. In February the school champions came together to compete at either the northern or southern regional competition where five state finalists from each region were selected to compete at the state finals in Lewiston.

“I was blown away by the high level of recitation skills exhibited by the regional contestants and especially by those selected to be finalists,” said John Holdridge, Arts in Education Associate for the Maine Arts Commission and coordinator of Poetry Out Loud for the state of Maine. “Witnessing these students on stage with their mastery of some of the greatest poems of our literary heritage makes one understand that youth is something to be celebrated.”

In Lewiston, each of the 10 state finalists will recite three poems selected from an anthology of master works compiled for this competition. Competitors will be evaluated by a bank of judges based on their accuracy, physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, level of difficulty, evidence of understanding and overall performance. Cumulative scores from all three rounds will determine a state champion who will receive $200 and an all expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete for the national title and a $20,000 scholarship. The winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The second place finalist will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The evening will also feature the music of emcee Emilia Dahlin and the announcement of the new State Poet Laureate.

Doors for the event will open at 5:00 pm on Friday, March 11th, and the competition and associated activities will run from 5:30 to 8:00pm. All are welcome to attend free of charge. For information on the venue or for directions please go to www.francoamericanheritage.org.

The students competing at this year’s final are:
Ian Hawkes, 12th grade, Gorham High School; Bethanie Brown, 10th grade, Waterville Sr. High School; Crystal Farrington, 12th grade, Lake Region High School; Lulu Hawkes, 11th grade, Catherine McAuley High School; Eloise Harnett, 11th grade, Gardiner Area High School; Morgan Wiggan, 10th grade, Thornton Academy; Bethany Bernhardt, 10th grade, Erksine Academy; Genevieve Shepard, 12th grade, Searsport District High School; Muyne Mohamed, 12th grade, Portland High School; Frank Schuth, 9th grade, Shead High School.

Emcee-Emilia Dahlin
Accomplished musician, songstress and performing artist, Emilia Dahlin’s weaving of a historian’s imagination with a troubadour’s artistry offers an American original sound infused with vintage jazz. A sometimes quirky, always eloquent songwriter, Emilia’s experience and knack for tapping into the human condition through songs crafted from mesmerizing stories have proven to capture audiences of all ages.

Accuracy Judge-Walter Skold
Walter Skold is a poet and filmmaker from Freeport. He taught American literature in China for 5 years and has studied poetry at the Frost Place and New York University. He recently completed a 2-year journey of filming poetry readings at the graves of over 100 American poets.

Recitation Judges-Cary Salerno
Carey Salerno is the Executive Director of Alice James Books, a nationally-renowned poetry press based in Farmington. Her first book, Shelter, won a 2007 Kinereth Gensler Award and was published in January 2009. She is faculty member of the Longfellow Mountain Young Writers Workshop and teaches poetry writing at the University of Maine at Farmington. Her poems have appeared on From the Fishouse―an audio archive of emerging poets―as well as in journals like Rattle and Natural Bridge.

Wesley McNair
A recipient of fellowships from the Fulbright, Rockefeller and Guggenheim Foundations, Wesley McNair recently read his poems at the Library of Congress and was selected for a United States Artists Fellowship as one of “America’s finest living artists.” his latest book is Lovers of the Lost, New & Selected Poems.

Bess Welden
Bess Welden is an actor, writer, teacher and voice-over artist. She holds an MFA from the National Theater Conservatory and has performed at theaters around the country, most recently with her solo play, The Passion of the Hausfrau. She is a Portland Stage Company Affiliate Artist and a Teaching Artist in the Theater and Dance Department at Colby College.

Poetry Out Loud Partnerships
The National Finals are the culmination of efforts by many partners. As national partners, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have contributed support for administration of the program, educational materials, and prizes for both the state and national finals. State Arts Agencies implemented the program in high schools in each state and organized state competitions, often in collaboration with local arts organizations.

About the Maine Arts Commission
The Maine Arts Commission encourages and stimulates public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of Maine. The agency expands the state's cultural resources and encourages and assists freedom of artistic expression for the well being of the arts. The agency receives tax money appropriated by the Maine State Legislature. In addition, the agency receives funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and other federal sources.

About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine and one of the largest literary organizations in the world, exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs. For more information, please visit www.poetryfoundation.org.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
The NEA is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

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