Poetry Out Loud® lifts poetry off the page, creating community and connection. Through this program, high school students across the country participate in a dynamic poetry recitation competition that is designed to improve their public speaking skills, help build confidence, and teach them about literary history and contemporary life.

A program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Kentucky Arts Council, Poetry Out Loud provides free lesson plans and other educational materials to teachers and organizers, including an online anthology of classic and contemporary poems.

This grant program enables Kentucky teachers and schools to provide their students with high quality arts experiences by funding transportation to programs provided by organizations in the Arts Miles Directory. Schools may apply for a grant based on the roundtrip mileage from their building to the facility and driver’s pay for up to two buses per field trip. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis between October and March as funding permits.

Note: The Arts Miles grant is a reimbursement program. Approved awards will not be paid until the field trip has been completed and the final report has been submitted.