If you're searching for prose and poetry selections for UIL or NFL competition, then look no further! We've bundled three of our issues filled over a dozen short stories and collections of poetry to help you prepare for NFL supplementals or UIL competition (for our friends in Texas).
SEASON FOUR: NATIONALS 2007
Breaking the Water By Lorraine White
Prose Interpretation
“Big fish eat little fish,” expounds the narrator of White’s story. While trying to make ends meet working for a fishing company on the verge on bankruptcy, he navigates the troubled waters of his job and the birth of his second child. A detailed and heartfelt work, this story will wow audiences from start to finish.
Man of Steel By Joseph Conway
Prose Interpretation
John couldn’t cry at his own wife’s funeral. Ever since that day, he’s been working on what his psychiatrist calls his “emotional circuitry.” Conway delivers an emotionally charged experience of using a second traumatic experience to get over the first and taking a life in order to get his own back.
The Shepherd of Chi-town By Doug Osgood
Dramatic Interpretation
By nature, a street performer’s life is an act—an illusion. Osgood tells the story of a young man who was always a performer who wanted nothing more than to entertain his family. When people are laughing they don’t ask questions, they just watch. Life is his stage, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get caught in other people’s dramas.
Wolf By Sara Reinhelt
Duo Interpretation
Andrew isn’t a liar—at least in his mind. He’s more of what you call a purveyor of imaginative fictions. In this thrilling drama, it’s hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. Audiences will hope to see it again in final rounds just to figure out the twist.
Why I Tutor at the International Center By Grace Bruenderman
Poetry Interpretation
Award-winning poet Grace Bruenderman gives the audience a lesson in her performance piece on teaching and multiculturalism. A master of wordplay and observation, Brunderman’s poems effortlessly share while intriguing audiences.
SEASON FIVE: NATIONALS 2008
Mixed Up by Meredith Stein
Prose Interpretation
Growing up in a family of a mixed marriage often presents social and emotional challenges. When the budding relationship between a teenage girl and her best friend Marcus takes a romantic turn, mother neither accepts nor approves of the young couple. This selection suitable for middle and high school competitors explores race, relationships, and the double standards we often create.
Could’ve Been Worse by Trevor Anders
Prose Interpretation
Everyone’s had a bad first date. Turns out that some folks have a lot of them. This quirky selection steers a young man through a bad first date and the ensuing aftermath. The good news is that he has a best friend who lets him know it could have been worse.
Cutting Cords by Trevor Anders
Prose Interpretation
Two brothers separated by an ocean attempt to mend their broken relationship on the elder’s wedding day. This selection explores the emotions and experiences that connect twins while showing just how difficult—and sometimes forgiving—siblings can be.
Growing Up Girl by Julia Neva
Poetry Interpretation
It isn’t easy growing up as a girl in America. Between trying to make the grade, win the game, and get the friends, girls are faced with an oppressive pressure to achieve perfection. By examining the struggle to be herself, we are able to empathize with what modern girls face on the path to adulthood.
Memory Drive by Michael Hix and Will Schuster
Poetry Interpretation
Human beings are driven by memory--either the need to rely on it for day to day activities or to shape their personal history and identity. So what happens when our memory fails us (“Malfunction”) or is incomplete (“Ghosts”).
SEASON SIX: NATIONALS 2009
Second Opinion by Steven Guthrie
Prose Interpretation
Most people find doctor’s offices to be the most uncomfortable place on Earth. Conversely, Mr. Ellison is quite at home among the sterile white walls and outdated copies of Redbook magazine. Guthrie’s short prose looks at why folks visit the doctor and why they keep coming back, even if there’s nothing wrong.
My Week as the Other by Isabelle Owens
Prose Interpretation
Owens’ experimental work of fiction takes the form of a parent’s angry letter to her son’s high school principal. In the letter, she expresses her frustration over a classroom experiment in which her son must attempt to learn “what it is like to be a woman.” As she writes, “I just happen to believe that some things in this world are challenging enough without having a grade assigned to them.”
The Prodigy by Richard Shelton
Prose Interpretation
The protagonist of Shelton’s short story is the one of the most famous people on the internet. With a bone disorder limiting his abilities to act like a normal kid, he begins to play the cello. His stellar ability to craft and share music has drawn attention from far and wide. When the music stops, he must find a new rhythm to guide his life.
Male Pregnancy by Jonathon Harper
Poetry Interpretation Program Builder
This pair of poems from new author Jonathon Harper explores pregnancy from the perspective of the male. The choices that men can and cannot make in the process come to life through word and wit.
Redefining Romance by Sarah Carpenter
Poetry Interpretation Program Builder
For years, men held the cards when it came to expressing and pursuing love. Now it's time for the ladies to rightfully reclaim the relationship reigns.