…does anyone have any poetry/POI tips……..please hit me up
i am suffering™
MY TIME HAS COME
Poetry is like the one thing I am good at my friend so let’s gooo
1. Perform poetry you can connect to! It’s the first thing my coach told me when I first entered poetry interp. The poems you feel the closest connection to, they flow out of you like water, whether it’s because it’s funny, or it makes you cry, or you can relate to the themes. At one competition, someone ]did a poetry program on growing up without a father, and it was one of the most authentic poetry performances I’ve ever been honored to witness. It turns out his father passed away when he was young, and some of the choices he made while performing his pieces reflected his own feelings and opinions. Find the poetry that you love or makes you laugh or you have a connection to, and everything’ll fall into place.
2. Interpretation of poetry is a very clean cut performance. Especially at the varsity level, I’ve noticed that gestures and hand motions of the finalists are all deliberate. Don’t just make hand motions because you can–each one should have meaning. You’re performing poetry! Let your body language show that and reflect your piece. Your transitions should be smooth, your expressions expressive, your speaking clear. And, of course, enunciate every word and consonant. If you like, you can go onto YouTube and search “forensics poetry” to see how other people deliver their pieces.
3. Vary your tone and volume! It can spice up any performance. You know those story structure things we learned about, where there’s the intro, the rising action, the climax, and the denouement? Think of your poetry piece/program like that. You can start off with a steady volume, then build up to a frantic pace and loudness, then bring it back down at the end of your program. Of course, this is only a guide: just so you can remember to add variation to your performance. In fact, some of the most creative performances I’ve seen are the ones with sudden spikes of loud and quiet, frenzy and calm, throughout the piece.
I’d also like to link you to this AMAZING post on POI that @fieldofsmiting posted. It has so many great tips and tricks that I’ve shared with some of my novices as well - http://fieldofsmiting.tumblr.com/post/152008985971/how-to-poi-a-guest-post
And, to conclude: there’s been a recent trend in poetry interp where people perform poetry programs, and cut their poems so they interweave, in a sense. Very similar to how POI is performed. My coach thinks it’s a fad, but it is really shows the judges that you’ve thought about how your poems all connect together. If you have two or more poems and are up to the challenge, go for it!
As my coach always says, you cannot speak unless you speak. Go get ‘em, buddy!!
Find a peice that has a story arc or string the right peices together so that there’s a clear beginning, climax, and end; you’ll have more concrete ideas to work with and it’ll keep everyone’s interest (if I had a dime for every time someone’s poetry peice was just a string of abstract but pretty comparisons i’d have so many dimes). Challenge yourself to find emotions in the peice that are more nuance than sadness or anger. Sometimes a look of confusion, a pause and blink for confusion, or a mournful laugh are the most refreshing parts of performances. Don’t fall into the trap of using Button Poetry or other poems that have already been performed- 9 times out of 10 everyone in the room has already seen/heard it and you will deliever it very similarly to how the author did. Your interpretation is the most important aspect of prose/poetry/POI, don’t compromise it. I know you can hear other people in other rooms during competitions shouting, yelling, ect. You do not have to get that loud to be successful. There’s no one way to be great, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Just get into your peice and do what needs to be done to orate it well.
