(Black PR Wire) For the fourth 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 a cutting edge event – the Louder Than A Bomb Florida Poetry Festival presented by Nova Southeastern University and UPS. This highly anticipated event takes place from March 26 – April 21, 2018.

Dubbed the “Super Bowl of poetry,” Louder Than A Bomb Florida (LTABFLA), a Jason Taylor Foundation arts and education project, features a friendly spoken-word competition between school-based poetry teams representing high schools from across the state. Funding from Nova Southeastern University, UPS and a host of other community partners has assisted the Jason Taylor Foundation support the schools’ efforts by providing year-round, in-class and after-school instruction, which will culminate in this 27-day festival.

For the first time in LTABFLA history, a Central Florida preliminary round has been added to the competition and will feature schools representing Brevard, Columbia, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange and St. Lucie counties, while the South Florida regional bracket will be comprised of more than 30 schools from Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. 

“This is without a doubt one of my favorite times of the year,” said Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jason Taylor. “Each and every day we are witness to the power of young voices and Louder Than A Bomb Florida showcases this power on dynamic stages and in spectacular venues. I love that our reach continues to expand and that LTABFLA can bring so many youth from different backgrounds together to celebrate their stories, strengthen their schools and transform communities.” 

The schedule of events for Louder Than A Bomb Florida is as follows:

Event: Central Florida Preliminary Bouts               

Date:  Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Time: 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Loews Royal Pacific Resort – Universal Studios

Event: South Florida Preliminary Bouts – Day One            

Date:  Tuesday, April 3, 2018      

Time:  8:30 – 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location:  Little Haiti Cultural Complex

Miramar Cultural Center

PlugIN

Ted’s at YoungArts

Event: Town Hall Meeting

Safe Spaces; Safe Schools           

Date:  Monday, April 9, 2018      

Time:  6:30 – 8:30 p.m.  

Location: Knight Auditorium, Nova Southeastern University

Event:  Amp’d Up – bluapple Teaching Artist Showcase 

Date:  Wednesday, April 11, 2018             

Time:  6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  

Location: Sunrise Civic Center Amphitheater

Event: South Florida Preliminary Bouts – Day Two            

Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018   

Time:  8:30 – 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location:  ArtServe, Ft. Lauderdale

City of Sunrise Civic Center

Delray Beach Arts Garage

Savor Cinema

Event: Coaches Slam/Youth Poet Laureate Book Release             

Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018   

Time:  5:00 – 7:00 p.m.  

Ella Cafe, Plantation

Event: Firecracker/Dynamite Slam          

Date: Friday, April 13, 2018          

Time:  10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.      

Location:  African-American Research Library & Cultural Center

Event: Semifinals            

Date: Saturday, April 14, 2018    

Time:  10 a.m.; 1 p.m.; 4 p.m.; 7 p.m.      

Location:  PVA Theater, Don Taft Center Nova Southeastern University

Event: LTABFLA Block Party & Art Slam Presented by Hoffman’s Chocolates & LIME Fresh Mexican Grill 

Date: Sunday, April 15, 2018       

Time:  12:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Location:  The Fountains, Plantation

College Open Mic           

Date: Wednesday, April 18, 2018              

Time:  7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  

Location:  Flight Deck, Nova Southeastern University

Event: College Slam       

Date: Thursday, April 19, 2018   

Time:  7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  

Location:  Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, Nova Southeastern University

Event: The Ultimate Software Individual Finals  

Date: Friday, April 20, 2018          

Time:  7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Location:  Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, Nova Southeastern University

Event: Writing workshop with Nate Marshall      

Date: Saturday, April 21, 2018    

Time:  2:00 – 4:00 p.m.  

Location:  Alvin Sherman Library – gallery, Nova Southeastern University

The StevenDouglas

Event: Team Finals         

Date: Saturday, April 21, 2018    

Time:  6:30– 9:30 p.m.   

Location:  Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, Nova Southeastern University

Since founding the bluapple Poetry Network with actor and poet Omari Hardwick in 2012, the Foundation has helped more than 65 schools activate this program, with more than 1,200 participants inspiring their communities with poetry.

Louder Than A Bomb Florida is a festival featuring poetry bouts, workshops, exhibits, and ultimately the crowning of Florida’s top youth poetry team. The most critical component, however, is the year-round, meaningful instruction inside the classroom and after-school clubs, with teachers and teaching artists who create and facilitate a safe space for individual and collective expression.

In addition to Nova Southeastern University and UPS, other supporters of Louder Than A Bomb Florida include 99 JAMZ, Arts Garage, ArtServe, BBX Capital Foundation, Best Buy of Davie, Broward Schools, Carnival Foundation, City of Miramar, City of Sunrise, Commissioner Keon Hardemon, DeBartolo Family Foundation, Ella Café, Florida Panthers Foundation, Goldman Properties, Heroes of Hip Hop, Hits 97.3, Hoffman’s Chocolates, Invicta Watch Group, Jax Youth Poetry Slam, LIME Fresh Mexican Grill, Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Miami Dolphins Foundation, Minuteman Press of Hollywood, Miramar Cultural Center, MOD Pizza, NBC-6, Pavlov’s

Ring The Bell Management, PlugIN Private Kareoke Rooms, Publix, Savor Cinema, Sonshine Communications, Sports & Activities Directory, StevenDouglas, The Fountains, The Performers Academy, Thunderous Genius Creative House, Ultimate Software, Urban Word, Wizard Creations, YoungArts Foundation, and Young Chicago Authors.

For more information, or to purchase tickets for Louder Than A Bomb Florida events, visit www.bluapplepoetry.org or call (954) 424-0799.

About the Jason Taylor Foundation

In July 2004, Miami Dolphins legendary Defensive End and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jason Taylor, established the Jason Taylor Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organization. The Foundation’s mission is to support and create programs that facilitate the personal growth and empowerment of South Florida’s children in need by focusing on improved health care, education and quality of life.

Since opening its doors, the Jason Taylor Foundation has impacted tens of thousands of children through innovative programming including The Jason Taylor Reading Room, Cool Gear for the School Year, the Jason Taylor Children’s Learning Center, Jason Taylor Scholars and the Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Network, among others. For more information on the Jason Taylor Foundation, please visit www.JasonTaylorFoundation.org or follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jasontaylorfoundation or Twitter and Instagram: @jtfoundation99 or @bluapplepoetry #LTABFLA.

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU)

Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and first-professional degrees levels.  An independent, not-for-profit institution with approximately 25,000 students, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach and Tampa, Florida as well as  San Juan, Puerto Rico and online globally.  For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.

About UPS

For more than 30 years, UPS has supported the work of organizations that share our dedication to improving lives and strengthening communities where we live and work every day.  Within these communities, we're addressing important issues such as early-grade reading, high school graduation rates and financial stability.  This ties directly into the mission of the Jason Taylor Foundation.  This positive impact on society could not be created without the overwhelming help and support of UPS employees.  Since 1982, UPS and its employees – both active and retired – have donated more than $1 billion to non-profit organizations through their annual United Way campaign, becoming the first company to reach this philanthropic milestone.  As a result, UPS is a two-time winner of the United Way's Spirit of America award, the organization's highest national honor for corporate involvement and commitment to building better communities. For information, please visit www.ups.com.

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