University of Lynchburg Snowball Speech and Debate Tournament
2024 — Lynchburg, VA/US
Poetry
Event Description:
Poetry Interpretation
Regulations: Contestants shall read a selection of one prepared published poem or poetic group of his/her own choice. Must have an introduction that gives title and author of the piece and helps audience better understand the piece. Manuscript is MANDATORY. This is NOT a memorized event. Performance Poetry may not rhyme—it can be of a “free-verse”/narrative modern form of poetry.
Eye Contact: good eye contact should be made with audience and visual contact with the manuscript is required.
Time: 10 min. maximum (plus 30 second grace)
Movement: limited to natural gestures.
Judging Criteria: choice of selection, interpretation, timing, eye contact, characterization, creativity, gestures, energy level, varied volume, pitch, rate, tone, appearance, impact. Monotone voice is to be avoided.