Seth Levit
JASON TAYLOR FOUNDATION
T: (954) 424-0799
E: seth@jasontaylorfoundation.com
(Black PR Wire) A Mic. A Stage. A Pen. A Page. This is what the art of poetry begins with – the rest is legendary. The Jason Taylor Foundation is giving you 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 The Miami Dolphins Foundation. This highly anticipated event takes place from April 8 – 18, 2015.The program is also supported by The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge.
“The Jason Taylor Foundation is dedicated to utilizing the art of the spoken word to help provide teens from diverse backgrounds a common vehicle for written and performance-based self-expression,” said Seth Levit, Executive Director of the Jason Taylor Foundation. “Louder Than a Bomb empowers and unites youth and their respective communities. I know that it will have a lasting impact.”
“Truly successful cities are those where everyone considers themselves a creative being. Louder Than a Bomb helps South Florida students realize that vision by exploring their artistic sides, and sharing their stories and viewpoints with their community,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president for arts at Knight Foundation, which is funding the program.
Dubbed the “Super Bowl of poetry,” Louder Than a Bomb Florida, a Jason Taylor Foundation arts and education project, will feature a friendly spoken-word competition between school-based poetry teams representing local high schools from Broward and Miami-Dade counties and beyond. Funding from Nova Southeastern University, the Miami Dolphins Foundation and Knight Foundation 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 11-day festival.
The schedule of events for Louder Than a Bomb Florida is just as impressive, and is as follows:
- Preliminary Bouts – Day One, Wed. April 8, 2015, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso, City of Sunrise Civic Center, Miramar Cultural Center and Paradise Live – Hard Rock
- Preliminary Bouts – Day Two, Thurs. April 9, 2015 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at ArtServe, Cinema Paradiso, Delray Beach Arts Garage and Paradise Live – Hard Rock
- Firecracker Slam – Fri. April 10, 2015 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Dillard School for the Performing Arts
- Semifinals – Sat. April 11, 2015 10 a.m.; 1 p.m.; 4 p.m.; 7 p.m. at the Epstein Center for the Arts, Nova Southeastern University
- “Food for Thought” Community Festival & Coaches’ Slam– Sun. April 12, 2015 1-6 p.m. at Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA), Pompano Beach
- Town Hall Meeting: Arts in Education– Mon. April 13, 2015 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at Knight Auditorium, Nova Southeastern University
- Art Speaks – Wed. April 15, 2015 6 – 9 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center
- Individual Finals – Thurs. April 16, 2015 7 – 10 p.m. at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Nova Performing Arts Center, Nova Southeastern University
- Urban Art Show– Fri. April 17, 2015 5 – 9 p.m. at NSU University Center, 2nd Floor Lounge
- Rick Case Automotive Group College Slam – Fri. April 17, 2015 7 – 10 p.m. at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Nova Performing Arts Center, Nova Southeastern University
- VIP Reception – Sat. April 18, 2015 5 – 6 p.m. at DeSantis Sales Institute
- Team Finals– Sat. April 18, 2015 6 – 9 p.m. at the Rose & Alfred Miniaci Nova 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 50 schools activate this program, with more than 750 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, the Miami Dolphins Foundation and Knight Foundation, other supporters of Louder Than a Bomb Florida include Arts Garage, A&T Dry Cleaners, Bailey Contemporary Arts, BBX Capital Foundation, Best Buy of Davie, Blaze Pizza, Broward 100, Broward County Libraries, Carnival Foundation, Cinema Paradiso, City of Sunrise, Diversity, Prevention and Intervention of Broward County Schools, Hoffman’s Chocolates, Invicta Watch Group, Minuteman Press of Hollywood, Miramar Cultural Trust, NBC-6, Pavlov’s Ring The Bell Management, PDQ, Publix, Rick Case Automotive Group, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Sonshine Communications, Steven Douglas Associates, Super Fan Sports Fundraising, Target, UPS, Urban Word, WEDR 99 JAMZ, Wizard Creations, Young Chicago Authors and Zing Sock Club.
About the Jason Taylor Foundation
In July 2004, Miami Dolphins legendary Defensive End, 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: www.twitter.com/@jtfoundation99 or www.twitter.com/@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 the Miami Dolphins Foundation
Established in 1996 as the fundraising arm of the Miami Dolphins Football Team, the Miami Dolphins Foundation is committed to making a difference year round in the South Florida community in three distinct areas; education, health and volunteerism. For more information, visit the organization’s website at dolphins.com.
About Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit KnightFoundation.org.