Oral Interpretation, Forensics and the SpeechGeek Perspective

Over the years, SpeechGeek has worked diligently to provide you with the literature, services and merchandise that would make any character-poppin', 30 minute-preppin', three point-speaking speech geek proud. In the fall of 2003, we featured our first issue of literature geared toward forensics. Today, we produce four issues each season: Fall, Winter, Spring and Nationals, each with fresh and never-been-seen-before pieces of prose, poetry, drama, and duets. Our selection of merchandise has blossomed to over a dozen different shirts to keep you looking stylishly 'speech-y' when you're not in your tournament clothes. SpeechGeek has been working to offer educational services and is excited to announce our venture into providing extemp questions for practice as well as tournament hosting. Additionally, we've branched out and made friends with DebateChamps.com, where you can find all of issues available for instant download.

As we reflect on how far we've come in the past few years, we know that one thing that won't change is our view of oral interpretation and its role in competitive forensics. As publishers, our goal at SpeechGeek has always been two-fold:
1)To provide current competitors and coaches with access to new performance-friendly material.
2).To create a place for writers, poets, playwrights and forensics alumni to publish innovative and
creative works of literature.

We believe that oral interpretation teaches students to look at a piece of literature from a variety of angles – as an analytical critic, as a creative performer as well as a forensics competitor. Furthermore, we believe that the greatest educational value comes from the student performing literature written by an author whose vision and intent for the material is unknown to the performer. We consider this to be the heart of oral interpretation.

SpeechGeek does not encourage nor condone the act of students or coaches publishing scripts with the intent of performing their own material in forensics competition. SpeechGeek does not participate in “instant-publishing” single pieces for individual use. Any piece published by SpeechGeek is available to all middle-school and high-school forensics programs.

While the staff at SpeechGeek is always on the look-out for performance-friendly material that is accessible to coaches and students, we do not believe in sacrificing education in the name of competition. Currently, we at SpeechGeek are doing what we can to ensure that the material we publish will not be used in an inappropriate or an ethically questionable manner for forensics competition. As we examine and review all submissions for publication, authors will be notified of the intent and view of forensics.

As forensics alumni, we understand that most devoted speech competitors read dozens of scripts each season in search of the perfect piece that will bring them competitive success and push the creative envelope. We also know that in the process of searching for the perfect piece and reading countless other, competitors feel the urge to tell the stories that haven't been told. At SpeechGeek, we don't want to discourage current forensicators from becoming future authors, playwrights and poets. Anyone is welcome to submit material for possible publication once they have completed their eligibility for high school forensics competition.