PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2014
Library partners with Elementz for National Poetry Month with teen contest, workshops Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture and teach an appreciation for poetry as an art form.This year, Elementz Urban Arts Center will lead a series of Teen Poetry workshops at select Library branches to coincide with the annual Teen Poetry Contest known as “Random Acts of Poetry.” The Library encourages teens in grades 7 through 12 to participate in the contest by writing an original poem and submitting it online or at their nearest Library branch during April.
Elementz Urban Arts Center is partnering with the Library to provide four workshops for teens on writing poems which communicate a story or message. The workshops also will teach teens how to share poems with their peers as a performance art. No registration is required; walk-ins welcome.
Wednesday, April 2, at 4 p.m. — TeenSpot at the Main Library, 800 Vine Street, (513) 369-6960
Wednesday, April 9, at 4 p.m. — Bond Hill Branch, 1740 Langdon Farm Road, (513) 369-4445
Saturday, April 19, at 11 a.m. — Sharonville Branch, 10980 Thornview Drive, (513) 369-6049
Thursday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. — Monfort Heights Branch, 3825 West Fork Road, (513) 369-4472
Entries will be judged on creativity and style.Teens from the Library’s Official Teen Advisory Board will select the winners, with final approval from Library staff. First-, second-, and third-place winners, as well as honorable mentions, will be selected from two categories, ages 12 to 14 and 15 to18. Prizes for the winners will be given at a recognition event in May at the Main Library. Winning poems will be displayed online following the recognition event.
Last year’s winning and honorable submissions can be viewed on the Library’s TeenSpot page at http://teenspace.CincinnatiLibrary.org/programs/contests/randomactsofpoetry.
For contest details, visit teenspace.CincinnatiLibrary.org after April 1 or call (513) 369-6960. The Friends of the Public Library is sponsoring the contest. Entry forms and contest details are available at all Library locations.