All Over Albany

Poetry Out Loud at St. Rose

(crotchety old person voice) Oh, teenagers today, with their Facebook and their dubstep and their... public poetry reciting.

St. Rose is hosting the local regional finals of a national competition for high school students called Poetry Out Loud. Blurbage from CSR:

Poetry Out Loud is a national contest program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Sponsored by The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by building on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as demonstrated by the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of rap music among youth. By performing great works of literature, students can master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn more about their cultural heritage.

The first regional final is Thursday evening. There's another next week. And the state final is in March. All three are free and open to the public. The schedule is post jump.

Regional Final 1
Thursday, February 21, 6 p.m. in the Standish Conference Rooms, Events and Athletics Center, Second Floor, 420 Western Ave., Albany.
Participating schools: Duanesburg Central School District, John Jay High School and Roy C. Ketcham High School (Wappingers Central School District), Shenendehowa High School, Watervliet High School

Regional Final 2
Tuesday, February 26, 6 p.m. in the Saint Joseph Hall Auditorium, 985 Madison Ave., Albany.
Participating schools: Niskayuna High School, Saratoga Springs High School, Schenectady High School, Whitesboro High School.

State Final
Saturday, March 16, 2 p.m. in the Saint Joseph Hall Auditorium, 985 Madison Ave., Albany.