SUNKEN GARDEN POETRY FESTIVAL 2012

                              Fresh Voices Competition

Dear Teachers,

This summer marks the 20th season of Hill-Stead Museum’s Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, one of the foremost poetry events in the country, featuring the top tier of American poets as well as emerging and student writers from the state and region. 

Each year Hill-Stead invites high-school student poets to submit their work for consideration for our Fresh Voices reading.  Four to five winners are chosen to read at the festival, their work is published in a chapbook, and they are invited to participate in a preparatory performance workshop with professional poets from the region. This year the Fresh Voices reading will take place during the 20th anniversary opening weekend on Saturday, June 2nd.  Connecticut Young Poets Day will feature high school and college-aged winners of writing competitions throughout the state, including Fresh Voices finalists.  During the day, students can also hear 21-year-old slam poet, B. Yung, and Richard Wilbur, former US Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner.

Fresh Voices is a wonderful program that has a powerful impact on young writers.  We rely on teachers to get the word out to students about this competition.  Please forward this to your colleagues and make an announcement in your classes, encouraging students to submit their work.  Click here  to find a pdf with the entry form and guidelines.

Please help us get the word out to students about this great opportunity!

 Sincerely, 

Sarah Wadsworth
Poetry Program Coordinator
Hill-Stead Museum
35 Mountain Road
Farmington, Connecticut 06032
860-677-4787 ext.134

poetry@hillstead.org

Back to LINKS