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<p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_Hlk163565381">Hello, Michigan library community,<o:p></o:p></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">I’m writing to remind you of our deadline for Michigan’s Poetry Out Loud program, which is coordinated by our team here at Michigan Humanities in collaboration with the Michigan Arts and Culture
Council. We are asking that all interested partners <b>register by Wednesday, Dec. 11</b>. If that deadline is not possible for you, please let me know; we have flexibility this month!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">As you may know, </span>
<a href="https://www.michiganhumanities.org/poetry-out-loud/"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">Poetry Out Loud</span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"> is a national poetry recitation competition
for high school students. It is in its 20<sup>th</sup> year and was launched by the National Endowment for the Arts to encourage students to learn about existing works of poetry through memorization and performance, and build public speaking skills and self-confidence.
The program and all materials are provided to each partner at no cost. <b>Poetry Out Loud is flexible and scalable; you can start with just a few interested students in January of 2025!<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">Each year, participating schools or community organizations (like public or school libraries and other youth-serving organizations) host their own local competitions and select a student to represent
their community at the state finals. The Michigan state champion advances to the national finals in Washington, D.C. and competes for a $20,000 college scholarship. At the 2024 State Finals event in Lansing, both students and teachers took part in a welcome
dinner and poetry workshops, and 19 school champions competed in three rounds of competition. Nandi Comer, Michigan’s Poet Laureate, led the student workshop and emceed several rounds of competition. You can see a little peek at the State Finals via Detroit
PBS’s coverage of it </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE5GvwM2eIE"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">here</span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">. Overall, throughout the 2023-24
school year, 23 organizations partnered with Michigan Poetry Out Loud, including an estimated 85 teachers and 3,800 students.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">If you are interested in learning more, please contact me via email and/or join us for a meeting of Poetry Out Loud partners (new, returning, and potential) at the times
below this week and next:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">Wednesday, Dec. 11: 4 to 5 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">Thursday, Dec. 12: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">Monday, Dec. 16: 3 to 4 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">You can RSVP for a meeting
</span><a href="https://forms.gle/xXTR8KMwGZshiSKH9"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">here</span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"> through a quick Google form, and then I’ll send you the Zoom
link.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">Have a great week ahead, and I look forward to talking with you soon!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381">Katie<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Katie Wittenauer
</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">(she/her)</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Director of Programs
</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">|
</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span><a href="mailto:kwittenauer@mihumanities.org"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#467886;mso-ligatures:none">kwittenauer@mihumanities.org</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">
<span lang="EN">| </span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiewittenauer/"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#467886;mso-ligatures:none">LinkedIn</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><u><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#467886;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Connecting, Sharing, Growing</span></i></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
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Description automatically generated" v:shapes="image3.png"><![endif]><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Michigan Humanities</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><b><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">2364 Woodlake Drive, Suite 100
</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Okemos, MI 48864
</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">517-372-7770, ext. 294</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span><a href="http://michiganhumanities.org"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#1155CC;mso-ligatures:none">Website</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">
<span lang="EN">| </span></span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MichiganHumanities"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:#1155CC;mso-ligatures:none">Facebook</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%;background:white"><span style="mso-bookmark:_Hlk163565381"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Mission: Bringing people together
through stories, histories, cultures, and conversations.</span></i></span><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
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