Northeast Texas Poetry in Schools Contest 

Contest History

For forty years, the Rusk County Poetry Society, a chapter of the Poetry Society of Texas, celebrated April as National Poetry Month with its annual Poetry in Schools competition. The program began in Henderson, Texas, schools and then expanded to surrounding counties to become one of the largest student poetry competitions in the state. 

 

The popular program offered literary enrichment to public, private and home-schooled students in grades 1-12, with judging by local poets. The contest organizer for many years was Rusk County Poetry Society founder Mary Craig, with poet Anne McCrady serving as coordinator in recent years.

 

Each April, the Poetry in Schools Awards Ceremony honored nearly a hundred winning poets, who read their poems to an audience of poets, family members, educators and students. Topics included Nature, family, sports, animals, world events and personal experiences; some poems were humorous, others serious and others highly creative in tone. The highlight of the ceremony after Ms. Craig’s death was the awarding of the Mary Craig Memorial Scholarship, funded by the Rusk County Poetry Society and given to the twelfth grade first place winner. In addition, a printed collection of the winning poems was available for purchase after the awards ceremony, with each entering school receiving a free copy for their campus library.

 

Two years ago, when the Rusk County Poetry Society members felt they could no longer manage the yearly project, Anne McCrady approached Young Audiences of Northeast Texas about hosting the event. Ms. McCrady agreed to serve as contest coordinator, anthology editor and award ceremony emcee, as she had done for many years. Young Audiences Executive Director, Amy Baskin, welcomed the opportunity. The event was renamed the Northeast Texas Poetry in Schools Contest, and a new tradition began. In 2014, after receiving nearly 500 online entries judged by poets and writers in the Tyler area, the Awards Ceremony and Contest Anthology were a great success.

 

For the 2015 Northeast Texas Poetry in Schools Contest, Young Audiences of Northeast Texas is happy to announce new partnerships with both Region VII ESC and County Line Magazine, as well as the continuing involvement of event Artistic Director, Anne McCrady. In addition, the Rusk County Poetry Society has agreed to fund an annual $500 Mary Craig Memorial College Scholarship for the 12th grade first place poet. As is tradition, a printed booklet of the winning poems will be available for purchase with each entering school receiving a copy for their library. The online entry deadline will be March 1, 2015, with the awards ceremony set for  Monday, April 27th, 2015.