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Springfield to Host Regional Poetry Competition

The Springfield Area Arts Council will host the Poetry Out Loud Central Illinois Regional Contest on Thursday, February 13, at 4:00 p.m. in the Peggy Ryder Theatre at the Hoogland Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public, and the venue is accessible.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that promotes the study of poetry by providing educational resources and a competitive platform for high school students. The program aims to help students develop public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and gain a deeper appreciation for literary history and contemporary works. It is a collaborative effort of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and state and jurisdictional arts agencies.


Since its inception in 2005, Poetry Out Loud has reached more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools and organizations nationwide, including American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This year marks the program’s 20th anniversary, with the Springfield Area Arts Council producing the regional and state contests annually since the program’s launch.


Students participating in Poetry Out Loud select, analyze, and memorize classic and contemporary poems for recitation. The competition begins at the classroom level, with winners advancing to school-wide competitions, then to one of seven regional contests in Illinois. Regional winners move on to the state tournament, scheduled for March 17 at 10:00 a.m. in Springfield, with the ultimate goal of reaching the national finals in Washington, D.C.


The Springfield Area Arts Council collaborates with the Illinois Arts Council to bring the program to central Illinois. This year, seven high schools, 23 teachers, and 943 students are participating in the regional competition.


Participating Schools:

  • Decatur: Eisenhower High School

  • Edwardsville: Edwardsville Community High School

  • Jacksonville: Routt High School

  • Pawnee: Pawnee High School

  • Springfield: Lutheran High School, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, Southeast High School


For more information about the competition, visit the Springfield Area Arts Council website or the National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Out Loud page.

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