Madison, WI - 
On March 6th, Lauren Broman won the statewide Wisconsin Poetry Out Loud Competition, which was held virtually. Ms. Broman is a senior at Wrightstown High School, who plans to focus on pre-med studies at UW-La Crosse next year. The Wisconsin Arts Board extends its congratulations to her and to State Runner-up Margaret Rankin of University School of Milwaukee!
As Wisconsin's Champion, Ms. Broman will advance to participate in the National Poetry Out Loud Semifinals on May 2nd, 2021. The National Finals will follow on May 27th. Unlike previous years when the Semifinals were held in Washington, DC, this year they will be video submission-based competitions and will be streamed at www.arts.gov.
Undaunted by the pandemic, this year more than 2,400 Wisconsin high school students from 20 high schools competed throughout our state in a process coordinated by State POL Coordinator Penny Parsons, through the Wisconsin Arts Board.
A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the nation's state arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud (POL) is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. This program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about literary history and contemporary life.
The National Contest awards over $50,000 in scholarship funds, including a $20,000 award to the national champion. State winners and the state runners-up will receive $200, and their school libraries will receive $500 to be used for purchasing poetry materials and literature.
Since the POL program began in 2005, more than 4 million students and 65,000 teachers from 16,000 schools across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud. For more information, go to www.poetryoutloud.org, find POLwisconsin on Facebook, or contact Dr. Penny Parsons.
The Wisconsin Arts Board, a state agency, nurtures creativity, cultivates expression, promotes the arts, supports the arts in education, stimulates community and economic development, and serves as a resource for people of every culture and heritage. Since 1973, the Arts Board has supported artists and art organizations with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on the Wisconsin Arts Board, please visit artsboard.wisconsin.gov.