Prior to her most recent position as assistant dean at Barnard College in New York, Adjua Starks was the associate director of the department of professional development at New York Law School, where she enjoyed counseling law students and alumni on both legal and nonlegal career paths. Adjua Starks also has a love of poetry as an art form and has been reciting poetry since the age of 5. She recently performed a reading for the fitness company Fit4Life.
To be effective, poetry recitation must involve many different elements. Presenters may recite their own works or the poems of others, but in either case, there are several fundamentals of the art.
1. Physical presence - When reciting, make eye contact with audience members to establish a relationship and use posture to convey confidence.
2. Evidence of understanding - Study the poem and understand its meaning. Techniques such as appropriate pauses, volume, and delivery style can show a deep level of comprehension.
3. Voice and articulation - Use your voice to project to the entire audience, being careful to articulate each word properly. The goal is to capture the attention of the audience with your tone, pace, and emotion.
