The University of Idaho Argonaut

Contestants will compete in a Speed Read Smackdown to bring literacy to children in need.

At 6 p.m. Thursday at Mikey’s Gyros, readers will be given 30 seconds to read a piece of their own choice. In the past, contestants have read from “Hamlet,” “Ulysses,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Beowulf” (in the original Anglo-Saxon), “Civil Disobedience,” poetry, computer manuals and even phonebooks.

The Speed Read Smackdown first began in the fall of 2005 as a fundraiser for local First Book recipient groups, and was a collaborative project between the University of Idaho First Book Campus Advisory Board and Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society).

The Speed Read Smackdown is a nationwide philanthropic effort to get books in the hands of children most in need of reading material.

“There are competitions similar to ours that take place across the nation, but you won’t find another competition like this in our area or with the flair and support that have become an annual part of our competition,” said Tamara Toomey, co-chair on the UI First Book Campus Advisory Board.
Readers will receive pledges for each word they read within the 30 seconds.

Pledges usually range from five cents to $1.
The proceeds from the event will benefit schools in the Plummer, Worley and Moscow Areas serving over 300 limited income children.
“Our purpose is to provide the children in those groups with free, new books so they can start their own personal libraries,” said graduate student Dona Black.
“The event brings to light the importance of books in the lives of children — especially those in poverty with few, if any, books of their own,” Black said.

The national First Book organization has provided over 50 million new books to children. This year, Sigma Tau Delta has become involved in getting student living groups and organizations involved.

Groups will be responsible for circulating pledge sheets (similar to the way one might collect for a walk-a-thon). In the past, participating groups were from Moscow’s downtown businesses, such as Mikey’s, Good Will, Tie Dye Everything, Moscow Co-Op, John’s Alley and BookPeople.

Several UI faculty members have also been involved as participants and sponsors, including Jan Johnson, Candy Gillis, Shelia O’Brien, Mary Ann Judge, Walter Hesford and Elinor Michel.
Delta Gamma and Pi Beta Phi sororities also participated. Over the last two years The Speed Read Smackdown has raised over $2000.
With cooperation from corporate publishers and First Book’s book banks, UI’s First Book Campus Advisery Board could buy around 400 new books for $100.
“The value of our community donations expand in size because they were matched by the national group and corporate sponsors in varying degrees,” Black said.

Toomey said guests and participants will enjoy the event.
“You have a chance to impact the lives of local children through promoting literacy while also having a great time,” she said.