<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">POETRY OUT LOUD SONOMA COUNTY CONTEST<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">FEBRUARY 15 - 6:30 - 9:30pm<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">The Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">ADMISSION IS FREE!! <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Why are students all over the county students memorizing and practicing their oral interpretations of great poems? Because its Poetry Out Loud season! <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Poetry Out Loud is a national recitation program for high school students, founded by the National Endowment for the Arts, sponsored in all of California by the California Arts Council and California Poets in the Schools and in Sonoma County by the Sonoma County Community Foundation. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">The county winner will advance to the state competition, in Sacramento at the end of February. This year, our special guest at the competition will be Dana Gioia, founder of POL during his time as the head of the NEA, and newly-appointed California Poet Laureate. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">There is no cost to the school or the students to participate.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">The schools involved this year are: Analy, Casa Grande, Creekside,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">El Molino, Elsie Allen, Maria Carrillo, Montgomery, Piner, Rancho Cotate, <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Rincon Valley Christian, Roseland Collegiate Prep, Roseland University Prep, Santa Rosa, Sonoma Academy and Tech High.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">Sonoma County has one of the most active participation rates in all of California. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><br style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""><pre class="moz-signature" cols="72" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img apple-inline="yes" id="B1BA3369-1807-4910-89E4-D431097A62D3" height="1117" width="893" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:65906032-3342-4D0A-A394-AC8AEBFD2E82@gateway.sonic.net" class=""></pre></body></html>