For Immediate Release March 10, 2007 Contact: Vicki Poppen, (503) 986‐0085, vicki.poppen@state.or.us Cynthia Kirk, (503) 986‐0081, cynthia.kirk@state.or.us Ian Jones, 18, of Gresham’s Center for Advanced Learning Wins Oregon State Poetry Out Loud Competition, Advances to National Competition in Washington, DC Erin Lynch, 17, of Newberg’s Veritas School is Runner‐up March 10, 2007 – Salem, ORE. — The Oregon Arts Commission announces that Ian Jones, 18, of The Center for Advanced Learning, Gresham, has won Oregon’s 2007 statewide Poetry Out Loud competition. The state competition took place today in Loucks Auditorium of the Salem Public Library. Poetry Out Loud is a collaborative project of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation and the Oregon Arts Commission. As winner of the Oregon competition, Jones wins $200 and an all‐expense paid trip to Washington, DC for himself and a chaperone. His school receives a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. Erin Lynch was declared the state runner‐up. Her prize is $100, with her school library receiving $200 for poetry purchases. In Washington, Ian Jones will represent Oregon against 50 other state winners. The national competition takes place April 30 ‐ May 1 at George Washington Universityʹs Lisner Auditorium and awards a total of $44,000 in prize money to 12 finalists ($20,000 for the winner; $10,000 to the first runner up; $5,000 in to the second runner; and $1,000 each to the other nine finalists). Their schools receive another $500 for their libraries. Over 1,500 Oregon students participated in Poetry Out Loud this year. All contestants prepared two poems from a 400‐poem anthology provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Declared a winner at The Center for Advanced Learning, where Rita Ramstad is the Poetry Out Loud coordinator, Ian Jones advanced to the state competition against eight other contestants: • Josh John, 16, Beaverton High School, Beaverton (Shannon Kerry, coordinator) • Alex Mann, 18, Summit High School, Bend (Anita Hoffman, coordinator) • Laurel Goerger, 16, 4J Night High School, Eugene (Jon Labrousse, coordinator) •
•
•
•
•
Lauren Hay, 18, Hood River Valley High School, Hood River (Carla Gomez, coordinator) Erin Lynch, 17, Veritas School, Newberg (Megan Hills, coordinator) Kriss Morton, 18, Madison High School, Portland (Daniel Fredgant, coordinator) Catherine Young, 17, Northwest Academy, Portland (Brian Christopher, coordinator) Sean Johnson, 18, Salem Academy, Salem (Sara Patrick, coordinator) This is the second year of Poetry Out Loud competition; and, both years, a student from The Center for Advanced has been named state champion. Last year’s champion, Michael Santiago, was one of the 12 national finalists. All the contestants memorized three poems for the state competition. Ian Jones recited “Litany” by Billy Collins and “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. The judges were so impressed by the level of performance among the nine competitors that they asked four students – Catherine Young, Kriss Morton, Erin Lynch and Jones – to read one more poem. Jones’ final selection was “Ikebana” by Cathy Song. Oregon’s Poetry Out Loud competition was judged by poet Judith Barrington, actress Gretchen Corbett, novelist Molly Gloss and actress Kimberly Howard, using criteria such as volume, voice inflection, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, accuracy and eye contact. Speakers included Christine D’Arcy, executive director, Oregon Arts Commission; Leslie Liberato, Poetry Out Loud program manager for the National Endowment for the Arts; Lawson Inada, Oregon poet laureate. In addition to being an accomplished performer of poetry, Ian is a novelist and fitness instructor. He was the project manager for his school robotics team’s 8 th place (out of 55) performance in a recent competition and has been an exchange student in Japan. Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. More than 200,000 students across the country are expected to take part in Poetry Out Loud this year. For more information about Poetry Out Loud in Oregon, contact Vicki Poppen, arts education coordinator, Oregon Arts Commission: 503‐986‐0085, vicki.poppen@state.or.us. 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 national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities and military bases. About the Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. One of the largest literary organizations in the world, it 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. In addition to launching a major new poetry Web site, the Poetry Foundation recently conducted the first‐ever study designed to find out where poetry stands in American culture. For more information, please visit PoetryFoundation.org. About the Oregon Arts Commission The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of the Economic Development Department in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon Legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development. The Arts Commission is supported with General Funds appropriated by the Oregon Legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available at www.oregonartscommission.org ‐ 30 ‐