Words are part of performance, but their importance is mitigated by body language, intonations, energy levels, lighting, sound, and so on. The truth of the matter is that neither the words nor the performance are the most important thing we are doing. It is easy to forget that what we are doing is communicating. In essence, we are building the community by talking to one another. In Detroit, the first major American city to die, we understand the concept of community building.
Poetry is a powerful healing tool.
Every poet at the nationals as a regular member of a team should receive one vote. Each team member would vote for two or three teams they believe to be best. All teams participating at the nationals should be listed on the ballot, meaning all teams should be eligible to win the vote. In addition, a new competition category would be created for performance. The winner of the performance category would be selected by composite scores, the same way the four top teams are selected now.