Land of the “little black book” UIL PROSE/POETRY Land of the “little black book”

PROSE 7 minute maximum Use small black binder Must come from copyrighted, printed, and published material Material must come from sources OTHER THAN plays and poetry The selection must have LESS THAN 50% dialogue Selection must meet theme/content guidelines provided by UIL each year.

PROSE (cont’d.) Prepare an introduction (memorized) Make the printed page come to life Should be “well in mind” but not memorized Stand in place except for minor stance alterations Don’t use the book as a prop (sometimes)

EXAMPLES Editorials Autobiographies Non-Fiction/Fiction Books

POETRY (* = same rule as Prose) 7 minute maximum * Use small black binder * Poems must come from published, copyrighted, printed literature * Prepare an introduction (and transitions between poems, if necessary); memorized * “Well in mind” but not memorized * Don’t speak in a “sing songy” pattern (especially if it rhymes…) Selection must meet theme/content guidelines provided by UIL each year.

Basic technical elements that give the poem its shape:

RHYTHM RHYME Placing words in patterns The occurrence of the same stressed vowel sound and all succeeding sounds in two or more words (i.e. night/light/bright)

SOUND HARMONIES Contribute to the poem’s musicality as the words are spoken REPETITION – short words back to back; i.e. “No, no, no;” creates a word echo ALLITERATION – repetition of an initial consonant sound; i.e. Freddy, my friend ONOMATOPOEIA – use of a word that suggests the sound of the word itself; i.e. hissing, plop, fizz, buzz, murmur, wheeze, rattle, etc.

Brain research suggests that these sounds connect with and excite the right side of the brain  one way they can help you to “enchant the audience

Types of Poetry

Narrative Presents a story in verse form; The elements of the story (plot, character, setting) are of primary importance; i.e. “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Longfellow and “Cremation of Sam Magee” by Robert Service

Lyric One word: emo. ; deals specifically with emotions and senses; most intense/personal form of poetry; doesn’t reveal a fully developed story; i.e. “A Lover’s Toy” by Janell Howard

Dramatic Makes specific use of dramatic techniques; generally the speaker communicates through a monologue; a dramatic situation is either implied or stated; i.e. Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters

Choosing Poetry Selections Single title poem Theme-centered poems: two or more poems revolving around the same theme/idea (i.e. baseball, love, depression, school, vacations, dieting, etc.) Poet-centered poems: two or more poems from the same author (i.e. Shel Silverstein, Maya Angelou, Taylor Mali, etc.)

Preparing Prose/Poetry Type it out, in bigger font than usual (at least 16 point font) Mark it w/ places that you intend to pause or gesture Characters should have specific focal points (just like HI/DI) Once typed, cut out and glue to black construction paper; put in book Don’t move book around a lot while performing – hold it steady and strong

Preparing… (cont’d.) Always practice with your book!!! Don’t be fooled! Just because this doesn’t need to be “memorized,” you still need to practice just as much for this event and be “virtually memorized” Your book should be: Closed during intro. During performance – “L” shaped/in front of you/away from body/low enough that we can see facials When finished, close book again