Pictures of postings will be released on our Twitter page as soon as we receive them. The transcriptions of those pictures are posted below. We will do our best to be accurate, but don't hesitate to let us know of any corrections.

Best of luck to everyone in Kansas and everyone else monitoring the internet!

----------------

IMPROMPTU 

SECTION A

18001 - DAVID DEPINO

16103 - DANIEL HATOUM

17912 - JACOBY COCHRAN

10503 - HARRISON POSTLER

16904 - MICHAEL KELLEY

10212 - MARSHALL COVERT

 

SECTION B

13210 - KELSEY ABELE

13602- COLLIN METCALF

17004 - ROB WARCHOL

17002 - BRENNAN MORRIS

17403 - PATRICK SEICK

14501 - ALEX GONZALEZ

 

INFORMATIVE

SECTION A

10204 – JANNIQUA DAWKINS

10209 – TYLER RIFE

17004 – ROB WARCHOL

17905 – JACOBY COCHRAN

15505 – LAURELAI HISTED

16103 – DANIEL HATOUM


SECTION B

16902 – JENNA SURPRENANT

17907 – RYAN TINLIN

10203 – GABRIELLA DEVIA-ALLEN

17904 – CECIL BLUTCHER

10202 – EMMA WILCZYNSKI

10206 – NICK GILYARD

 

PROSE

SECTION A

10210 – JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ

10213 – RAY ROBERTS

17909 – KAYBEE BROWN

17010 – LANDRY AYERS

17405 – ISAAC REIMER

16401 – COLE EVANS

 

SECTION B

13612 – TAYLOR MCDONALD

14607 – PATRICK SATHER

13613 – THADDEUS FITZPATRICK

16408 - LAUREN ACKERMAN

17910 – MORGAN GREEN

10209 – TYLER RIFE

----------------------------

DUO

SECTION A

10201 – PRATT/RIFE

17904 – BLUTCHER/BROWN

17906 – OCASIO/DILLON

10206 – GILYARD/ROBERTS

15601 – SHIFFLETT/LAWTON

17803 – RICHARDSON/CHAPMAN

SECTION B

10501 – COURTNEY/TAYLOR

14603 – PLANOS/SATHER

17008 – OHRENBERGER/WILDMAN

16102 – SANLIN/GIFFIN

17919 – TINLIN/RESTAINO

16404 – PUMENTAL/ACKERMAN

 

POI

SECTION A

16112 – LARIO ALBARRAN

16409 – TRAE GRAHAM

10213 – RAY ROBERTS

10201 – ELLE PRATT

17902 – AARON FULLMAN

10222 – RICHARD HEYNE

SECTION B

10225 – LATAYA WILLIAMS

10207 – SARAH BRAZIER

16408 – LAUREN ACKERMAN

17904 – CECIL BLUTCHER

10211 – LINDSEY WHITE

17918 – GABBY DILLON

 

EXTEMP

SECTION A

17912 – BEN GADDIS

13602 – COLLIN METCALF

16101 – ALEX HATOUM

10214 – ALEXIS ELLIOTT

17011 – A.K. KOMANDURI

16303 – MILANA DUGGAN


SECTION B

14701 – JAMES QIAN

17002 – BRENNAN MORRIS

16105 – JAIME GARCIA

17003 – MICHAEL SCOTT

17004 – ROB WARCHOL

18001 – DAVID DEPINO


PERSUASION

SECTION A

17901 – A.J. CURRY

17906 – JUNIOR OCASIO

16402 – NATALIE SCHNEIDER

16115 – ASHLEY KOHLBRAND

14612 – LAUREN SCHAAL

17903 – BROOKE STEVENSON

SECTION B

16702 – CASEY MCDONALD

17905 – JACOBY COCHRAN

18001 – DAVID DEPINO

14801 – JARVIS SAM

17908 – TYLER TYMINSKI

13206 – SHELBY WILDS

----------------------------

CA

SECTION A

14801 – J. SAM

17907 – R. TINLIN

14612 – SCHAAL

16305 – ROTH

10222 – R. HEYNE

17905 – J. COCHRAN


SECTION B

15505 – HISTED

17906 – OCASIO

16202 – EWING

11801 – BOWMAN

17901 – A. CURRY

17004 – WARCHOL

 

ADS
SECTION A

17403 – P. SEICK

17907 – R.TINLIN

10208 – T. MCLARTY

17915 - J. GALLOWAY

14610 – G. SOLEM-PFEIFER

15103 – DEELY

 

SECTION B

10503 – H. POSTLER

15515 – T. MAHAN

17903 – B. STEVENSON

17905 – J. COCHRAN

17102 - BRIGHT

17912 – B. GADDIS

 

POETRY

SECTION A

13613 – T. FITZPATRICK

14603 – J. PLANOS

16107 – K. GIFFIN

14617 -KLUCK

16108 - M. KING

17906 – J. OCASIO

SECTION B

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

17909 – K. BROWN

10213 – D. WILSON

13208 – C. TRAIN
16404 - PIMENTEL

13105 – EHLY

D.I.

SECTION A

10213 – R. ROBERTS

17909 – K. BROWN

10508 – H. POSTLER

17008 – D. OHRENBERGER

13207 – B. MUELLER

13612 – T. MCDONALD


SECTION B

13613 – T. FITZPATRICK

10211 – L. WHITE

15407 – B. GRAY

17910 – M. GREEN

10207 – S. BRAZIER

10209 – T. RIFE

 

Pictures of postings will be released on our Twitter page as soon as we receive them. The transcriptions of those pictures are posted below. We will do our best to be accurate, but don't hesitate to let us know of any corrections.

Best of luck to everyone in Kansas and everyone else monitoring the internet!

----------------

IMPROMPTU

SECTION A:

17913 - N. TOMES

10503 - H. POSTLER

17403 - P. SEICK

10224 - N. DUKES

16904 - M. KELLEY

10502 - J. RUSSELL

 

SECTION B:

17004 - R. WARCHOL

17302 - J. WRASSE

10212 - M. COVERT

10214 - A. ELLIOTT

17002 - B. MORRIS

16410 - N. RAJAGOPALAN

 

SECTION C.

19611 - K. Colson

16701 - A. Nixon

17912 - J. Cochran

17912 - B. Gaddis

14501 - A. Gonzalez

13602- C. Metcalf

 

SECTION D.

16103 - D. Hatoum

14803 -K. Edosomwan

12108 - B. Aasmundstad

13210 - K. Abele

13212 - L. Boese

18001 - D. Depino

 

INFORMATIVE

SECTION A

17902 – C. FULLMAN

17905 – J. COCHRAN

17906 – J. OCASIO

15505 – L. HISTED

13202 – C. MOUA

10202 – E. WILCZYNSKI

 

SECTION B

10203 – G. DEVIA-ALLEN

16401 – C. EVANS

15802 – E. AVERY

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

16103 – D. HATOUM

13104 – T. STROBL

 

SECTION C

10206 – N. GILYARD

15508 – M. TRISTANO

17903 – B. STEVENSON

17907 – R. TINLIN

17004 – R. WARCHOL

17002 – B. MORRIS

 

SECTION D

17908 – T.TYMINSKI

10204 – J. DAWKINS

15401 – J. ALEXANDER

10209 – T. RIFE

18001 – D. DEPINO

16902 – J. SURPRENANT

 

PROSE

SECTION A

17405 – I. REIMER

15402 – C. WEINECKE

17910 – M. GREEN

16408 - L.ACKERMAN

17903 - K. STEVENSON

14611 - C. RODRIGUEZ

 

SECTION B

17102 – N. BRIGHT

10209 – T. RIFE

16112 – L. ALBARRAN

17909 – K. BROWN

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

17010 – L. AYERS

 

SECTION C

17911 – S. JONES

15703 – L. FIATOA

13613 – T. FITZPATRICK

16401 – C. EVANS

17401 – E. MANN

10213 – R. ROBERTS

 

SECTION D

13612 – T. MCDONALD

15601 – C. SHIFFLETT

16409 – T. GRAHAM

10210 – J. RODRIGUEZ

17306 – J. MONTGOMERY

14607 – P. SATHER

----------------------------------------------

PATTERN B

 

EXTEMP

SECTION A

17004 – R. WARCHOL

17905 – J. COCHRAN

17011 – KOMANDURI

16104 – Q. BARA

15513 – B. ROHMAN

10214 – A. ELLIOTT

 

SECTION B

16702 – C. MCDONALD

16402 – N. SCHNEIDER

13001 – J. STAGE

17003 – M. SCOTT

16105 – J. GARCIA

16303 – M. DUGGAN

 

SECTION C

14610 – G. SOLEM-PFEIFER

18001 – D. DEPINO

17002 – B. MORRIS

13614 – D. VAUGHN

16101 – D. HATOUM

17908 – T. TYMINSKI

 

SECTION D

10218 – P. SETTLES

13602 – C. METCALF

17012 – I. BIRDWELL

17912 – B. GADDIS

14701 – J. QIAN

14801 – J. SAM

 

PERSUASION

SECTION A

17006 – A. MARTIN

13103 – J. JOHNSON

14612 – L. SCHAAL

17908 – T. TYMINSKI

12004 – R. BUEGE

16115 – A. KOHLBRAND

 

SECTION B

17903 – B. STEVENSON

17011 – A. KOMANDURI

13202 – C. MOUA

18001 – D. DEPINO

14801 – J. SAM

15508 – A. TRISTANO

 

SECTION C

14613 – R. RISTAU

16402 – SCHNEIDER

17905 – J. COCHRAN

13614 – D. VAUGHN

13615 – K. LEE

13206 – S. WILDS

 

SECTION D

16904 – M. KELLEY

17906 – J. OCASIO

16702 – C. MCDONALD

10206 – N. GILYARD

15512 – R. LARBERG

17901 – A. CURRY

 

POI

SECTION A

17902 – A. FULLMAN

10211 – L. WHITE

13109 – DECAMP

16401 – EVANS

10201 – E. PRATT

14617 – N. KLUCK

 

SECTION B

10226 – L. GARLINGTON

10222 – R. HEYNE

10501 – R. TAYLOR

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

16404 – Q. PIMENTEL

16408 – L. ACKERMAN

 

SECTION C

13104 – STROBL

13005 – R. FERNANDEZ

10213 – R. ROBERTS

10207 – S. BRAZIER

17918 – G. DILLON

12002 – SHELTON

 

SECTION D

16112 – C. ALBARRAN

13105 – K. EHLY

13210 – K. ABELE

14603 – J. PLANOS

10225 – L. WILLIAMS

16409 – T. GRAHAM

 

DUO

SECTION A

10223 – WILSON/WILLIAMS

13504 – APODACA/OROZCO

15601 – SHIFFLETT/LAWTON

17919 – TINLIN/RESTAINO

10505 – COURTNEY/POSTLER

10206 – GILYARD/ROBERTS

 

SECTION B

16102 – SANLIN/GIFFIN

10504 – PARIS/POSTLER

16401 – EVANS/GRAHAM

10226 – GARLINGTON/MCLARTY

17803 – RICHARDSON/CHAPMAN

17008 – OHRENBERGER/WILDMAN

 

SECTION C

16404 – PUMENTAL/ACKERMAN

17906 – OCASIO/DILLON

17910 – GREEN/MCCLURE

13613 – FITZPATRICK/MCDONALD

14603 – PLANOS/SATHER

16108 – KING/KING

 

SECTION D

10501 – COURTNEY/TAYLOR

17904 – BLUTCHER/BROWN

17021 – BARSTEIN/EISENSTEIN

10201 – PRATT/RIFE

17806 – WILLIAMS/CUMMINGS

13208 – BURLINGAME/MUELLER

 

 -------------------------

 

PATTERN C

 

ADS

SECTION A

10221 – J.NEWBERRY

17915 - J. GALLOWAY

 12504 - M. BOYD

17102 - BRIGHT

13203 - TRAIN

14610 – G. SOLEM-PFEIFER

 

SECTION B.

17010 – L. AYERS

10220 – I. DOWTY

15103 – DEELY

17903 – B. STEVENSON

17905 – J. COCHRAN

16301 – G. ROJEK

 

SECTION C

1550 – BALINSKI

15515 – T. MCAHAN

17912 – B. GADDIS

15511 – MEHOCHKO

10208 – T. MCLARTY

13208 – A. BURLINGAME

 

SECTION D

10503 – H. POSTLER

17907 – R.TINLIN

17403 – P. SEICK

16101 – A. HATOUM

12101 – G. KUEPPERS

16407 – K. CURRIN

 

POETRY

SECTION A

16404 - PRESNTEL (?)

17918 – G. DILLON

14617 -KLUCK

10225 - L. WILLIAMS

16108 - M. KING

17007 - S. HANKEY

 

SECTION B.

14607 – P. SATHER

10213 – D. WILSON

17906 – J. OCASIO

15907 – B. GRAY

16409 – T. GRAHAM

13208 – C. TRAIN

 

SECTION C

16107 – K. GIFFIN

17909 – K. BROWN

10205 – K. MEDERO

17910 – M. GREEN

13207 – T. MUELLER

13105 – EHLY

 

SECTION D

10206 – N. GILYARD

10213 – R. ROBERTS

13613 – T. FITZPATRICK

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

14603 – J. PLANOS

 

DI

SECTION A

14617 – ROACK (?)

10203 – G. DEVIA-ALLEN

10207 – S. BRAZIER

17008 – D. OHRENBERGER

10507 – BOSCH

13207 – B. MUELLER

 

SECTION B

13612 – T. MCDONALD

17808 – RICHARDSON

15407 – B. GRAY

13210 – K. ABELE

17910 – M. GREEN

17025 – L. PERLAMUTER

SECTION C

10211 – L. WHITE

17014 - BENNETT

10209 – T. RIFE

10508 – H. POSTLER

10505 – R. COURTNEY

15601 – C. SHIFFLETT

 

SECTION D

17909 – K. BROWN

13613 – T. FITZPATRICK

10213 – R. ROBERTS

16408 – L. ACKERMAN

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

17017 – W. WILDMAN

 

CA

SECTION A

17601 – OCHOA

17002 – MORRIS

17901 – A. CURRY

10222 – R. HEYNE

13206 – WILDS

16305 – ROTH

 

SECTION B

16301 – G. ROJEK

16202 – EWING

11801 – BOWMAN

17905 – J. COCHRAN

13202 – C. MOUA

17908 – T. TYMINSKI

 

SECTION C

14612 – SCHAAL

17004 – WARCHOL

17916 – RABIN

16402 – SCHNEIDER

17906 – OCASIO

16114 – PRADHAN

 

SECTION D

13605 – K. PABST

17917 – K. WATKINS

14801 – J. SAM

17907 – R. TINLIN

15505 – HISTED

13701 - LARREAU

Pictures of postings will be released on our Twitter page as soon as we receive them. The transcriptions of those pictures are posted below. We will do our best to be accurate, but don't hesitate to let us know of any corrections.

Best of luck to everyone in Kansas and everyone else monitoring the internet!

----------------

IMPROMPTU

SECTION A:

17913 - N. TOMES

10503 - H. POSTLER

17403 - P. SEICK

10224 - N. DUKES

16904 - M. KELLEY

10502 - J. RUSSELL

 

SECTION B:

17004 - R. WARCHOL

17302 - J. WRASSE

10212 - M. COVERT

10214 - A. ELLIOTT

17002 - B. MORRIS

16410 - N. RAJAGOPALAN

 

SECTION C.

19611 - K. COLSON

16701 - A. NIXON

17912 - J. COCHRAN

17912 - B. GADDIS

14501 - A. GONZALEZ

13602- C. METCALF

 

SECTION D.

16103 - D. HATOUM

14803 -K. EDOSOMWAN

12108 - B. AASMUNSTAD

13210 - K. ABELE

13212 - L. BOESE

18001 - D. DEPINO

 

INFORMATIVE

SECTION A

17902 – C. FULLMAN

17905 – J. COCHRAN

17906 – J. OCASIO

15505 – L. HISTED

13202 – C. MOUA

10202 – E. WILCZYNSKI

 

SECTION B

10203 – G. DEVIA-ALLEN

16401 – C. EVANS

15802 – E. AVERY

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

16103 – D. HATOUM

13104 – T. STROBL

 

SECTION C

10206 – N. GILYARD

15508 – M. TRISTANO

17903 – B. STEVENSON

17907 – R. TINLIN

17004 – R. WARCHOL

17002 – B. MORRIS

 

SECTION D

17908 – T.TYMINSKI

10204 – J. DAWKINS

15401 – J. ALEXANDER

10209 – T. RIFE

18001 – D. DEPINO

16902 – J. SURPRENANT

 

PROSE

SECTION A

17405 – I. REIMER

15402 – C. WEINECKE

17910 – M. GREEN

16408 - L.ACKERMAN

17903 - K. STEVENSON

14611 - C. RODRIGUEZ

 

SECTION B

17102 – N. BRIGHT

10209 – T. RIFE

16112 – L. ALBARRAN

17909 – K. BROWN

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

17010 – L. AYERS

 

SECTION C

17911 – S. JONES

15703 – L. FIATOA

13613 – T. FITZPATRICK

16401 – C. EVANS

17401 – E. MANN

10213 – R. ROBERTS

 

SECTION D

13612 – T. MCDONALD

15601 – C. SHIFFLETT

16409 – T. GRAHAM

10210 – J. RODRIGUEZ

17306 – J. MONTGOMERY

14607 – P. SATHER

----------------------------------------------

PATTERN B

 

EXTEMP

SECTION A

17004 – R. WARCHOL

17905 – J. COCHRAN

17011 – KOMANDURI

16104 – Q. BARA

15513 – B. ROHMAN

10214 – A. ELLIOTT

 

SECTION B

16702 – C. MCDONALD

16402 – N. SCHNEIDER

13001 – J. STAGE

17003 – M. SCOTT

16105 – J. GARCIA

16303 – M. DUGGAN

 

SECTION C

14610 – G. SOLEM-PFEIFER

18001 – D. DEPINO

17002 – B. MORRIS

13614 – D. VAUGHN

16101 – D. HATOUM

17908 – T. TYMINSKI

 

SECTION D

10218 – P. SETTLES

13602 – C. METCALF

17012 – I. BIRDWELL

17912 – B. GADDIS

14701 – J. QIAN

14801 – J. SAM

 

PERSUASION

SECTION A

17006 – A. MARTIN

13103 – J. JOHNSON

14612 – L. SCHAAL

17908 – T. TYMINSKI

12004 – R. BUEGE

16115 – A. KOHLBRAND

 

SECTION B

17903 – B. STEVENSON

17011 – A. KOMANDURI

13202 – C. MOUA

18001 – D. DEPINO

14801 – J. SAM

15508 – A. TRISTANO

 

SECTION C

14613 – R. RISTAU

16402 – SCHNEIDER

17905 – J. COCHRAN

13614 – D. VAUGHN

13615 – K. LEE

13206 – S. WILDS

 

SECTION D

16904 – M. KELLEY

17906 – J. OCASIO

16702 – C. MCDONALD

10206 – N. GILYARD

15512 – R. LARBERG

17901 – A. CURRY

 

POI

SECTION A

17902 – A. FULLMAN

10211 – L. WHITE

13109 – DECAMP

16401 – EVANS

10201 – E. PRATT

14617 – N. KLUCK

 

SECTION B

10226 – L. GARLINGTON

10222 – R. HEYNE

10501 – R. TAYLOR

17904 – C. BLUTCHER

16404 – Q. PIMENTEL

16408 – L. ACKERMAN

 

SECTION C

13104 – STROBL

13005 – R. FERNANDEZ

10213 – R. ROBERTS

10207 – S. BRAZIER

17918 – G. DILLON

12002 – SHELTON

 

SECTION D

16112 – C. ALBARRAN

13105 – K. EHLY

13210 – K. ABELE

14603 – J. PLANOS

10225 – L. WILLIAMS

16409 – T. GRAHAM

 

DUO

SECTION A

10223 – WILSON/WILLIAMS

13504 – APODACA/OROZCO

15601 – SHIFFLETT/LAWTON

17919 – TINLIN/RESTAINO

10505 – COURTNEY/POSTLER

10206 – GILYARD/ROBERTS

 

SECTION B

16102 – SANLIN/GIFFIN

10504 – PARIS/POSTLER

16401 – EVANS/GRAHAM

10226 – GARLINGTON/MCLARTY

17803 – RICHARDSON/CHAPMAN

17008 – OHRENBERGER/WILDMAN

 

SECTION C

16404 – PUMENTAL/ACKERMAN

17906 – OCASIO/DILLON

17910 – GREEN/MCCLURE

13613 – FITZPATRICK/MCDONALD

14603 – PLANOS/SATHER

16108 – KING/KING

 

SECTION D

10501 – COURTNEY/TAYLOR

17904 – BLUTCHER/BROWN

17021 – BARSTEIN/EISENSTEIN

10201 – PRATT/RIFE

17806 – WILLIAMS/CUMMINGS

13208 – BURLINGAME/MUELLER

------------------------------------------

SpeechGeek is happy to help you prepare for UIL. From extemp subscriptions to help fill out your files, LD briefs to strengthen your cases, to author verification letters for your interp selections, we've got everything you need to make competing this spring a breeze! Simply click the links provided to find the products and information that best meet your needs.

Extemporaneous Speaking Subscriptions

2012-13 UIL Lincoln-Douglas Files

2012-3 UIL Documentation Letter for SpeechGeek Prose and Poetry Interp Selections

 

 

Renaissance man (noun): a term referring to a person with profound knowledge or skill in a variety of subjects. 
Foren-aissance woman (noun): a term referring to a forensicator exhibiting profound talent or success in a variety of subjects. [See: Shannon "Shanny Jean" Maney]

Her competitive success earned her a spot in the National Forensic Association Hall of Fame. Her first book of poetry, "I Love Science," was named by the Chicagoist as one of the Top Five Chicago-Authored Books of 2012. She is co-creator of the wildly popular live variety show series, The Encyclopedia Show, which can be found in nearly a dozen major cities across the world. Don't get too intimidated. As a high-school speech coach, she may end up judging you in a round. 

We were thrilled to be able to chat with Shanny Jean about forensics, performing, poetry, and the best advice she can give to competitors.

Tell us a little bit about yourself
I grew up in beautiful Ottawa, IL where I competed in high school, and attended Illinois State University in Normal, IL, where I competed in college. I live in the Normal area again with my husbo and dogs, so I guess you could say I’m from Normal… I know, I know. It’s soooo ironic.

How did you get involved in forensics?
In my high school, the rumor was that if you wanted to get good parts in plays, you had to be on the speech team. At the time, that’s exactly why I did it—for plays. Then in college, I joined the team because they were recruiting on the quad, and I had nothing better to do. I thought I’d just go to a meeting “to see what it was about.” After college, my husband and I moved to upstate New York, and we were there for about two weeks before I contacted one of the colleges in our town to offer my services to their speech team. That’s when I started my career as a coach—I was a young kid coaching the team at Cornell University. Now I’m coaching high school speech, and I think I like it best of all. The satisfaction of seeing someone find forensics for the first time is so awesome and satisfying. You remember what it was like when you found out there was an activity just for you. Imagine getting to see that moment again and again, year after year. It’s the best.

What were your favorite events?
HA. Um. That’s hard. I don’t like to pick favorites! In high school: Humorous Duet Acting, Original Comedy and Prose. (Illinois speech has crazy events!) In college: Prose, Poetry and After Dinner Speaking. And Duo. And Impromptu. Just kidding. I was terrible at Impromptu.
 

What was your favorite piece/speech you performed? What was it about and what did you enjoy the most about it?
Like anyone who did speech for a long time, that’s a tough one to answer. Probably the After Dinner Speech I wrote my junior year of college. It was about women’s menstrual periods and how damaging it is to make that a taboo subject. I loved that speech. It was one of the first times that I wrote something that was 100% my own style—I had figured out what I liked about myself as a writer and a performer, and I showcased those things. I was so proud of that speech every time I performed it. It just made me feel good. There’s no doubt in my mind that that speech is where I learned my chops for my work as a performance poet.

Tell us about the Encyclopedia Shows...how they're different from 'traditional' theater?
The Encyclopedia Show is a literary variety show that looks at a different theme each month. We bring in a handful of artists, writers, musicians, comedians, and give them a month to write about an assignment. We do quirky, goofy stuff between the performers, but it’s definitely less like theatre and more like a combination of a poetry slam and vaudeville.

How did the Encyclopedia Shows come into fruition? What was the first one about?
I started The Encyclopedia Show with my friend (and former speech teammate) Robbie Q Telfer. We had run a poetry slam in Normal, IL during college, and a few years later, we were like, “It’s time to do something new.” Robb had this idea for a show, and we started developing it, and about six months later, we produced the first ever Encyclopedia Show. The first show was about Bears, and it was a little clunky, but it had so much heart. I remember that the week of the show, I watched the pilot episode of Saturday Night Live. It was a little rough—in hindsight, you could see exactly what the show was going to turn into, even if it wasn’t there at the start. That’s kind of like what our first show was like.

What cities are there currently Encyclopedia groups performing?
Chicago! Austin, TX! New York! L.A.! Washington D.C.! Omaha! Boston! Phoenix! Seoul, South Korea! And there are others. It’s sort of amazing.

You're also a published poet! What can you tell us about your book of poetry, "I Love Science?"
WAHOO! I am a published poet! It makes me so proud! I Love Science! is a book about a lot of things—some of them fun, some of them heartbreaking. Books of poetry aren’t like novels, really. It’s not like you can say, “This book is about ___.” You say, “It’s sort of about ____, but it’s also about _____.” I was watching a round of poetry at a speech tournament where a girl I didn’t know was performing “I Love Science!” and according to her intro, it’s a funny and heartbreaking poetic autobiography. I like that. (See!? People do listen to intros!) By the way, CAN YOU IMAGINE performing in a round where it turns out the writer of your program is watching?! I can’t imagine it. When the round was over, I went over and introduced myself. We were both FREAKING OUT.

Where do you find inspiration for your poetry?
Depends on my mood! If there is something gnawing on my brain, I have to sit down and figure out what is bothering me so much. In that way, my life is the biggest inspiration. If nothing’s going on and I’m feeling fancy-free, then the world is my oyster. In that case, I can write about whatever I want. It’s weird to say that I can’t always write about whatever I want, but sometimes, I just can’t. Sometimes, there are things I absolutely have to write about, just so I can clear my brain enough to look at other things.

On top of all of that...you also continue to help coach in forensics. What's the biggest piece of advice you'd give current competitors?
Yep! I love speech, and I love coaching it. It makes me a better performer and writer, and being a writer and performer makes me better able to coach. It’s a good balance. My advice to forensics competitors? First of all, trust yourself and be yourself. The thing that makes some people electric in performances is they really seem to know what makes them shine. Figure out what it is that makes you shine, and do that thing. Be yourself. If you can be yourself and have fun, you won’t care about the rest of it so much. The second piece of advice isn’t really advice at all, but that’s okay since there’s no rebuttal after this. As competitors, you have only just begun to see the impact that speech will have on your life. I’m thirty, and I am only just beginning to see the impact speech has on my life. I am a lot of things--a performer, a writer, a teacher, a coach. If I hadn’t done speech, I wouldn’t be any of these things. I use the skills I learned competing every single day, and I use them in the things I like doing the most. I am so proud of the work I have done.