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For Immediate Release
Poetry Comes Alive in Redwood City With the First Annual Youth Poetry Contest at the Fox Theater
Redwood City, CA - March 17, 2005 - The youth of Redwood City produced a remarkable 650 poems for the first annual Redwood City Youth Poetry Contest, and the results are astonishing!
The kids exhibited a great ability with odes and verses, rhymes and sonnets, couplets and stanzas – and the three published poets from Montalvo Arts Center charged with selecting the 15 finalists found their task very difficult. But the judges have made their selections, and the public is invited to the contest’s final poetic showdown on Saturday, April 2, 2005, at 2:00 pm at the historic Fox Theater in Redwood City (2215 Broadway). This event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend and cheer-on their favorite youth poet!
The 15 finalists will read their poems on stage, and the judges will make their final choices for the grand prize winners in each of five age categories. Between the young poets’ displays of dithyrambic dexterity, the nationally-renowned performance artists Poetry Alive! will perform their unique and creative combination of theater and poetry to delight the crowd. Each of the five youth grand prize winners will receive a $100 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble book store, and all 15 finalists and their families will receive tickets to that night’s Fox Theater performance by Billy Collins, United States Poet Laureate for 2001- 2003. This performance is part of Montalvo’s Literary Arts series.
The 15 finalists will also enjoy the rare opportunity to meet Mr. Collins before his performance, surely an unforgettable event for budding local poets. Mr. Collins’ reputation is often compared to that of Robert Frost, in equally managing to combine high critical acclaim with broad popular appeal. In fact Mr. Collins’ last three collections have broken sales records for poetry. Members of the public are invited to expand their literary horizons and enjoy this very popular and entertaining poet - tickets for the April 2, 8:00 pm Billy Collins show at the Fox Theater are available through www.foxdream.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
The First Annual Redwood City Youth Poetry Contest is made possible by the generous participation of the Fox Theater, Montalvo Arts Center, the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, the Redwood City School District, and the Redwood City Public Library.
The Redwood City Public Library sponsors many free programs for children, families, and adults and helps our community to “understand the past, prepare for the future, and thrive in the present.” More information about library events and services, and the Foundation, is available on the library’s web page at www.redwoodcity.org/library, by calling 780-7026, or by picking up a Library events calendar in any Redwood City library.
Visit Redwood City’s website at www.redwoodcity.org
for information about the City and its services, the community,
recreation programs, education, City government, and local
business.
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Contact:
Chuck Ashton
Redwood City Public Library
(650) 780-7013
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