The Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), and Lighthouse Writers Workshop announce today that the Colorado state finals for Poetry Out Loud will be held on March 1, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at the Lakewood Cultural Center located at 470 S. Allison Parkway in Lakewood, Colorado. Thirteen students from 12 schools and organizations across Colorado will perform poems live on stage to celebrate poetry. The winner of the state finals will receive $200 and the winner’s representing school or organization will receive a $500 stipend to purchase poetry materials. The Colorado champion will also advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals in Washington, DC in May 2023.
Colorado’s Poetry Out Loud state finals are free and open to the public. The event will be emceed by Colorado Springs Poet Laureate Ashley Cornelius and judged by some of Colorado’s finest poets and performers. PBS will broadcast the performance at a later date.