Poetics

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Poetics

Glennis Hobbs

How to Survive a Poetry Reading

You’ve toiled, sweated, submitted, revised and finally become the author of a published book of poetry. Reaching this goal is wonderful, but all of a sudden a terrifying thought strikes you: “Will I have to give a public reading?” Panic immediately sets in and you want to run away and hide.

Don’t worry. You won’t be the first poet to have a panic attack at the thought of giving a public reading and you won’t be the last one.

A Toastmasters publication, Teaching People to Talk Turkey Without Turning Chicken, says that according to a survey in the Book of Lists, most people would rather die than give a speech, and that fear of public speaking outranks fear of death by a two to one margin.

Well, here are a few tips to help you survive that initial poetry reading.

The first step is to plan, plan, plan.

Once you’ve settled on a date for your reading, check out the place where the reading will take place. Talk to your sponsor and ask for his or her suggestions. Inspect the physical layout carefully.

Where will the reading take place? In a large hall, a small intimate space?

What is the lighting like? Will you have to wear sunglasses to reduce the fluorescent glare or will it be so dim that you’ll be reading by flashlight?

What are the acoustics like? Can you be heard clearly in the back row or will you have to shout? Is there an echo off the walls? Will there be a microphone?

Will you have a podium on which to place your book? This will give you something to lean on. Will you be seated at a table? If this is the case, then when your legs refuse to support you, you’ll have something to sit on and stop you from collapsing.

Ask questions about the intended audience. Will it be adults or children?

Now comes time to plan your reading. With your audience in mind, pick appropriate material. If your audience is mostly children, this is not a good time to read that erotic poem. The Senior Ladies Afternoon Church group may not appreciate a performance that has a lot of swear words in it. It is best to pick a variety of poems.

Practice, practice. Be familiar with your poems.

Modulate your voice. You don’t want to speak so quickly that your words sounds like bullets being sprayed with a machine gun. Conversely, you don’t want to speak so slowly and in a monotone voice that your audience will follow asleep.

Tape yourself and then listen to the playback. If at all possible, try videotaping yourself or get a friend to tape you.

Watch yourself in a mirror as you read aloud. Do you have any annoying mannerisms such as twisting your hair, wringing your hands, biting your nails? How many times did you say 'uh' or 'y’know'? Did you chew gum while you were reading?

Practice deep breathing and try to relax.

Consider writing a script on 3 x 5 cards and make a few notes.

Finally the day of the reading arrives.

Hopefully you have decided ahead of time what image you want to project. Check your appearance in a full length mirror before you leave your home or hotel. Now is not the time to wear the jeans that may split if you bend, the tight miniskirt that rides up or the bracelets that will distract your audience when they jangle.

Arrive early and make sure that the setup is the way you want it. If it isn’t, don’t act like a prima donna, but be courteous and request that changes be made if possible.

When you are introduced, smile. Greet your audience in a friendly manner and don’t apologize for the quality of your work.

Take a deep breath and relax. Introduce your poem, but keep your comments short. You might indicate how the poem came about or give brief background material on the poem.

For example, with my poem, City on the Rocks, I gave this introduction to the poem.

“From the far side of the Boardwalk and looking across the lake, I saw that the houses resembled tiny dollhouses sitting on the rocks," and this led to the poem:

City on the Rocks

dollhouse homes
of the city
cling to the granite surface of
PreCambrian rocks

Another poem was written about a place called Phantom Lake. This was my introduction:

“There are many different versions of how Phantom Lake got its name. One concerns a phantom source of water. Another concerns the way the lake looks as one flies across it in a plane. Another version tells the story of a lost love. This is my version of the legend:”

PHANTOM LAKE

white mist at dawn
conceals the teal waters
of the lake

Give just enough information to tantalize the reader. Don’t get off onto a side tangent about your life history and what happened in 1992.

Make eye contact with your audience and try to look at everyone. Don’t stare at the ceiling or keep your head down concentrating on the written page.

Project your voice to the back row. Modulate your voice.

Limit your reading to about 20-30 minutes. If your audience asks for an encore, keep it brief. It’s better to leave your audience wanting more than have them sneak out.

Be sure to thank them for coming and also thank your host for his or her help. Give credit where credit is due.

If the press is there, be courteous and smile for your picture.

When people buy your book, write legibly and try to write personal inscriptions. If you don’t know how to spell a name, ask.

May your poetry reading be successful and the first of many.