The Big Read

WORD UP!

Word Up! Flyer (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

Spoken Word Resources at the Library

The prize for first place is $150, second place is $100, and third place is $75.

All students who compete in their schools’ contests are eligible for a drawing to win an iPod.

Birmingham Museum of Art
March 29, 2008 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

We are launching an exciting project to bring back reading and literature to a place of prominence in people’s lives. The public libraries of Jefferson County, along with numerous partners, are working to get the whole county reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. As part of this initiative, we are holding Word Up!, a spoken word contest for high school students (grades 9-12). The students will write and perform an original work inspired by To Kill a Mockingbird.

The participants in the WORD UP! spoken word contest will be the winners from each school. Each school is responsible for holding its own contest, including lining up judges. The judges will select a winner and a runner-up. Depending on the number of schools that elect to participate, we may ask each school to send only the top winner OR the winner and runner-up to Word Up!.

The deadline for schools to declare their participation is January 15, 2007. Please designate a contact person for the contest and e-mail that person’s name, school, phone number, and e-mail address to Haruyo Miyagawa (hm@bham.lib.al.us).

The deadline for schools to submit their winners’ names is February 29, 2008. Please submit a registration form for each contestant.

HOMESCHOOLERS, NOTE!  A preliminary contest is being held for homeschoolers.  E-mail Irene Latham irenelatham@bellsouth.net for information by January 15, 2007.

Instructions

• Contestants for WORD UP! must fill out the registration form which can be found on the One County One Book website: http://onebook.jclc.org (form will be on website by end of November).
• Poetry must be the artist’s own creation and be inspired by To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
• The performance must be appropriate for all ages. No profanity allowed.
• Contestants need to arrive at the Birmingham Museum of Art by 1:15 p.m. on the day of the contest.
• Each poet will have three minutes to perform a poem or selection of poems. Time yourself! You will be penalized if you go over three minutes.
• There are no limits to the number of poems being performed, as long as the contestant’s performance is no longer than three minutes.
• Contestants will perform the poems from memory; they will not be allowed to have copies of their poems during the performance.
• Contestants may rap the poem(s).
• No instruments or props may be used.
• Only individual/solo performances will be allowed. No groups or duos.
• A panel of three judges will select the winners. Contestants will be judged on content and performance. The prize for first place is $150, second place is $100, and third place is $75.
• The top winners will perform at Alabama Bound, the annual author fair which will be held at the Central Library of the Birmingham Public Library on Saturday, April 12, 2008.
• All students who compete in their schools’ contests are eligible for a drawing to win an iPod.

The Public Libraries of Jefferson County would like to thank the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Birmingham Jewish Federation, Birmingham Sister Cities Commission, and Alabama Power Foundation for their generous support of The Big Read.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.