The Cascade Clash
2025 — Leavenworth, WA/US
Original Spoken Word: Poetry
Event Description:
About Original Spoken Word PoetryStudents write and perform original poetry to express ideas, experience, or emotion through the creative arrangement of words according to their sound, their rhythm, their meaning.
The maximum time limit is 5 minutes with a 30-second grace period. The delivery must be memorized, and no book or script may be used. No more than 150 words of the original poetry may be direct quotation from any other speech or writing. A successful performer will craft a piece that elicits critical thought, reflection, or emotion. As opposed to traditional Poetry, Spoken Word Poetry is created to be performed aloud and may feature rhythmic flow, vivid imagery, word play, gestures, lyrical elements, and repetition. Use theGetting Started with Original Spoken Word Poetry guide as a helpful tool to explore ways to express thoughts and experiences through poetry.
Using the prompts below, please provide constructive feedback to the competitor. Your comments should
highlight areas of strength as well as provide areas for growth. Be as specific as possible in your feedback. Use the space to
expand your thoughts on any of these areas or to comment on specific moments or lines that stood out to you. Please do
not comment on participants’ attire or appearance; this should not play a role in your decision.
Performance
Is the presenter comfortable and
commanding in the space? Does
the presenter’s use of physicality,
facial expression, and gestures
enhance the performance?
Vocalization
Does the presenter bring the
words to life? Consider breathing,
tone, pitch, enunciation, phrasing,
and pace. Consider presentation
of mood and imagery, vocal
characterization, and creation of
unifying effect.
Originality
Since this poetry is written by the
contestants delivering them,
consider its thought and
composition. Do the rhetoric,
diction, rhythm, and flow pace
make the poetry well-suited for
oral presentation?