On Thursday, March 27 the 2008 State Finals of New Jersey Poetry Out Loud took place at the New Jersey Network (NJN) studios. The following Regional Winners each competed for the title of New Jersey State Champion:

Region 1 – Atlantic, Gloucester, Cumberland, Burlington, Camden Counties
Regina Palombo, Mainland Regional High School (Linwood)
Emma Shakarshy, Atlantic City High School (Atlantic City)

Region 2 – Monmouth, Mercer, Middlesex, Union, Ocean Counties
Aranksha Arya, Piscataway High School (Piscataway)
Dora Mighty, St. Mary of the Assumption High School (Elizabeth)

Region 3 – Bergen, Hudson, Essex, Morris, Sussex Counties
Jacob Roberts, North Jersey Homeschoolers Association (Hewitt)
Allison Strong, Union Hill High School (Union City)

Congratulations to our 2008 State Champion and Runner-Up:

State Champion: Allison Strong, Union Hill High School (Union City)

Allison will receive $200 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington, DC to represent New Jersey in the 2008 Poetry Out Loud National Finals taking place April 27-29. Union Hill High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books.

State Runner-Up: Jacob Roberts, North Jersey Homeschoolers Association (Hewitt)

Jacob will receive $100 and $200 will be awarded to the North Jersey Homeschoolers Association.

Recitation and performance are major new trends in poetry. There has been a recent resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music.

Poetry Out Loud (POL) builds on this momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theatre into the English class (as well as Drama, Forensics, and other appropriate classes). The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with State Arts Agencies, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, to support the expansion of Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. This exciting new program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

The first New Jersey Poetry Out Loud (NJPOL) was launched by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) in 2006 as a pilot program in 7 high schools representing different regions of New Jersey. NJSCA partnered with Playwrights Theatre of NJ/New Jersey Writers Project, which brings writing residencies to over 150 schools statewide annually. The pilot integrated an artist residency into the POL program. The 7 school finalists went on to compete in the first State Final.

In its second year, the program expanded and a total of 34 high schools representing 14 counties participated. In 2008, the program's third year, over 5,000 students from 44 high schools and a home school association participated.

Past NJPOL Winners:
2007: Naja Selby (Arts High School, Newark)
2006: Teika Chapman (Trenton Central High School, Trenton)