Arts Council Napa Valley Announces Winner of Poetry Out Loud

Arts Council Napa Valley announces the winner of the Countywide contest for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. The first place winner and recipient of $200 award is Anais Gonzalez from Justin-Siena High and second place winner and recipient of $100 award is Sharayah Smith from Napa High.

The competition, presented in partnership with Arts Council Napa Valley, California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. On February 8th, 10 high school students from Napa County participated in the Poetry Out Loud school contest at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center. A video of the contest recitations will is available to view here.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country. Poetry Out Loud uses a pyramid structure. Beginning at the classroom level, winners advance to a countywide competition, then to the state competition, and ultimately to the National Finals in Washington, DC.

The Napa County winner will advance to the California State contest on March 12-13, 2017 in Sacramento. Each champion at the state level will receive $200 and an all‐expenses‐paid trip to Washington, DC, to compete for the national championship, April 25‐27, 2017. To learn more about the California Poetry Out Loud contest, visit www.poetryoutloud.org.

About Arts Council Napa Valley
Arts Council Napa Valley enriches the lives of greater Napa community through arts and culture. With roots back to 1963, Arts Council advances the arts in Napa County through diverse cultural programs and community services responding to our three core initiatives: Cultural Tourism, Art in Public Spaces, and Arts in Education. For more information and to become a member, please visit www.artscouncilnapavalley.org.

Photo by Aaron Benavidez