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

2. 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.

3. 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)

4. EXAMPLES
Editorials
Autobiographies
Non-Fiction/Fiction Books

5. 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.

6. Basic technical elements that give the poem its shape:

7. 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)

8. 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.

9. 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

10. Types of Poetry

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.)

15. 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

16. 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