Students from Miramar High School’s 2016 “Truth Spittahz” Poetry Team compete in the Jason Taylor Foundation’s Louder Than A Bomb Florida Team Finals last April.

Staff Report

FORT LAUDERALE, Fla. – For the third consecutive year, the Jason Taylor Foundation is giving the South Florida community the chance to witness the top youth poets in the state compete during the cutting edge “Louder Than A Bomb Florida Poetry Festival,” March 27 through April 8 at Nova Southeastern University.

Dubbed the “Super Bowl of poetry,” the festival features a friendly spoken-word competition between school-based poetry teams representing local high schools from Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.

“Each and every day we see examples of the transformational effect our ‘bluapple Poetry Network’ is having on young people, and Louder Than A Bomb Florida is an amazing way to celebrate that impact,” Jason Taylor said. “The collective voice of these brave poets is empowering students and schools, is strengthening communities, and changing lives. Given all of that, how could we not continue to provide this platform?”

The 13-day poetry festival is the culminating event of one of the foundation’s arts and education projects, made possible by funding from Nova Southeastern University, UPS and a host of other community partners that assist in supporting the schools’ efforts by providing year-round, in-class and after-school instruction.

The festival will have preliminary bouts March 28-29 at 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at various locations; a fire- cracker/dynamite slam March 31 at 10 a.m. at Dillard School for the Performing Arts; and semifinals on April 1 at 10 a.m. at Nova Southeastern University.

It will continue with The Louder Than a Bomb Florida Block Party and coach’s slam April 2 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Fountains in Plantation; with a town hall meeting April 3 at 6:30 p.m., college slam April 6 at 7 p.m. and finals April 7-8 at various times and locations on Nova’s campus.

Since founding the ‘bluapple Poetry Network’ with actor and poet Omari Hardwick in 2012, the foundation has helped more than 60 schools activate this program, with more than 1,000 participants inspiring their communities with poetry.

In addition to the workshops, exhibits and contests, youth who participate in Louder than a Bomb Florida receive year-round, meaningful instruction inside the classroom and during after- school clubs, with teachers and teaching artists who create and facilitate a safe space for individual and collective expression.

For more detailed information, or to purchase tickets, call 954- 424-0799 or visit www.bluapplepoetry.org.