How To Succeed In Poetry Out Loud

Step #1: Do It!

. Even if you think you “don’t get poetry” Poetry Out Loud is a fantastic way to challenge yourself, broaden your perspectives, and have a fun experience.

Step #2: Choosing A Poem

. Go onto the Poetry Out Loud website and click on Find Poems to begin the search.

. When searching for a poem to read or recite it is most important to keep an open mind. Poems are like questions with various answers. In order to explore all of the possible emotions and meanings within a poem, the reader or reciter must approach the work with an open mind.

. Make sure you select a poem that piques your interest.

. Practice reading the poems out loud to see if you enjoy speaking the lines and can clearly express the words in a meaningful way.

Step #3: Recitation

. Enunciation is key when reciting poems. In order to fully express meaning in a poem the audience must be able to hear each word. It is perfectly alright there are words you don’t know how to pronounce in your poem as long as you look them up and practice saying them the correct way.

. Expression is another interesting and important aspect of poetry recitation. Reciting poetry can be fun as well as eye opening because there are numerous ways to say lines. Even the slightest change in the way you emphasize a word can change the meaning of the line. For example, I can say “I love cheese” and change the perceived meaning of this statement depending on which words I emphasize in the sentence. There is no entirely wrong way to do it but I may come off sounding cranky or demanding as opposed to a peaceful cheese lover if I say it a certain way.

. Memorization tends to scare people. However, if you choose a poem you are passionate about you are likely to have an enjoyable time memorizing it. I like memorizing poems because many of them have a rhythmic pattern.Depending on how the poem is organized you may want to memorize it by line or by stanza.

Step #4: POL Road Trip

This is the most important part of the entire contest…. know the rules of the van. Some of the rules are adaptable depending on which group is traveling in the van so please refer to Mr. Young to properly learn the van guidelines 😉

Step #5: Poetry Perks

. Bring a posse of friends to support you for the regional competition. The poetry competition is fun but you are guaranteed to have a blast if you bring friends to share this experience with you.

. The poetry rug is a beautiful thing so respect it and treasure it. Every stage I have performed on beyond the school auditorium has had a rug upon which the microphone and the reciter stand. I have since then deemed this the rug of poetry and it is a very special moment to stand on this rug of poetry.

. At each of the regional or state competitions, there is some form of musical performance to entertain the reciters and their guests while the judges scored the poem performances.

. Good luck and go do some poetry!