How Poets, or You, Read at Open Mic

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I figured out a new way to sell my book...well a copy here and there I suppose. I started going to local poetry Open Mic Nights  and reading from my book, or I at least mentioning it. I also read poetry from this blog here. Some might question why I wasn't going to Open Mic nights before and doing this. The short answer, the ones I knew about were too far away at the time, and I didn't know about the closer ones. This year I have been able to travel a little farther and I learned about Open Mics in towns a little closer to me. I used to be in a lot of plays way back in the day in high-school. Reading poetry isn't exactly like being in a play, but it is a form of performing and I'm happy to be performing again in whatever form. Even with my disability I told you about a few blog posts ago (FND).

I've been writing poetry since I've been in elementary school, and I've been writing poetry with a goal to be published since high-school. My drama teacher ran the poetry club and gave of some of us students, or poetry club members, direction on how to read poetry out loud. So did my Speech coach when I read Edgar Alan Poe's poem, 'The Raven" for Serious Solo Interpretation. Some of the most important points are to: 

• memorize your poem or poems, 
• practice before you read in front of an audience, 
• project your voice (even when talking softly),
• pause at all commas and periods and line breaks, 
• if it's caps or an exclamation mark(s) do shout, 
• if their are different people talking, do use voices and stand in different ways, 
• at least pretend you're looking at the audience, 
• and (if you can,) gestures are good.

I say 'if you can' to the gestures part because I mentioned reading "The Raven" in Speech and gestures were not allowed. However, I recently went to a poet laureate reading, and that man made gestures and it really made his poems come alive. I took a page from his book and did the same thing when making my YouTube video for "Talking Walls" which has been well received. It's always a good idea to learn from other people, especially award winning people.

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You can actually look at the audience like I do when preforming, but honestly not many performers do. They might look at a spot on the back of the wall of the room, or in a small room situation, at people's foreheads just above the eyes. If you constantly have your eyes on your paper, it's harder for people to hear you.

Voices don't necessarily have to always be done, if you can't do them. (Unless you're in Speech like I was). Sometimes you can indicate a different speaker just by changing your stance. I forgot to do this at first when reading "Jack of the Future" at a poetry reading. But I kept going, (that's what you do even when you make a mistake when reading and performing), and did much better. I didn't do voices, just shifted. When I read it again, I'll try to do voices. This poem was very well received. It's currently on this blog, but I may have to take it off, because I might want to submit it for publication elsewhere. I just didn't like the title and it feels odd rewriting a nursery rhyme for publication...but it works.

So, when an author writes poetry, how they write it also indicates how it's meant to be read (according to the drama teacher I told you about). So everything in caps is shouted, that's probably where the whole "shouting' in text form came from. A bunch of exclamation marks is a bunch of emphasis! As are italic and bold lettering. It's part of why grammar might not matter in poetry, because the grammar is supposed to be spoken and we don't all walk around speaking perfect English. Especially when emotions are high, which poetry is often about. I wrote a previous blog post called "The Importance of the Pause" which in poetry is indicated by commas, periods, line breaks, a new paragraph, a dash or dashes, ..., and hopefully you get the idea. Do pause. It might seem like things are going slowly, but that's okay. Sometimes that can really make an impact on what you read. And sometimes you have to be prepared to do unscripted pauses for the audiences. They might clap or laugh or gasp in the middle of your poem. It's a talent some have to learn, and it is something I'm learning. And don't feel bad if you expect a reaction and it doesn't happen. It might be an awkward pause, but that's okay, just keep going. Also, while I was reading some of my poetry in the front of a crowd, I lost my place. I just paused and it didn't hurt the poem, it perhaps added a little extra to it.

I lost my place because I was looking at people. I was looking at people so they could feel like my poem was speaking to them. In order to get the people to feel like this, I also had to speak up so they could hear the poem. Sometimes there are microphones, but not always. And sometimes the microphones aren't working. Unfortunately, it's hard to teach voice projection by writing about it. Don't shout, but talk like you're trying to hold a conversation with someone in the back of the room. You can even do this in a loud whisper. As I said before don't look at your paper the entire time...but if you can't help it, so be it.

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I read this poem I really liked about myself that's 4 pages long in Word. That's really long for a poem. Looking at the people, I saw that they seemed bored and I got embarrassed. I stumbled over my words and stuttered. I went back to my seat starting to feel dejected, but someone tells me it was cool. Then a guy who reads after me, reads (very well and seemingly without any mistakes) about having a stuttering problem. He had written a poem to his speech therapist. He tells me I did a good job even though I stuttered through my poem and he did not through his. Even when you mess up, people can be very understanding and surprise you, so be brave. A lot about poetry is being brave. I did not have this poem, "Have Them Write Poet Upon My Grave" memorized, but I had practiced it...but not enough.

If you want to perform in front of someone, it's always a good idea to practice that performance. It just helps makes things run more smoothly. You're less likely to make mistakes (though not immune). If you're in a play there are lots of rehearsals! Just practicing once or twice, like I did with this 4 page poem, is not enough. Give it at least a few goes on a few different days. Sometimes when poets read, you can tell who has practiced, and who hasn't. Most people around where I live have. Practice helps you memorize poems.

Now I know I said to memorize your poems at the beginning of this blog post, but recently I have not been able to. I really tried with "Talking Walls". And that was just one poem, poets usually read 3-4 poems at Open Mic 🎤 around here. However, I went to a NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) poetry "reading" in Seattle and all the poets had their poems memorized. It was so amazing, I really would like to be able to perform my poems like that. I'm getting older now, and my old tricks aren't working now. I usually read the 'lines', (or poem,) silently 10 times, 10 times out loud, 10 times out loud with gestures or acting it out...all in a row. Yes, for a total of 30 times reading the same thing. And then repeat the process with peeking until I really have it down. Until I can speak it without peeking. You may have a trick or two yourself on memorization. In Serious Interpretation, I read "The Raven" so many times for competition I had it memorized by the end. I don't have it memorized anymore, unfortunately, (just some bits and parts of it).

And finally, just go to poetry readings and see what those poets do. I discovered that the poets around here are wonderful. For the first time, I learned who the winners of a contest I entered were (when it wasn't myself). I did not win that poetry contest I told you about in a previous blog post this year that I said I would enter. However, I do not do feel bad at all. After going to various poetry readings in the area, I've learned the poets around here are extraordinary. I'm sure the two guys who won are too, and perhaps I'll get to see them during La Conner Washington's Poetry Festival in October. So whether you're just watching, or if you're reading yourself, go enjoy a poetry reading in your area; you might learn something!

The Importance of the Pause

 

Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash

In all writing, not just poetry, where the writer puts pauses into their piece is very important.  In prose, the pauses are easy to indicate with commas and periods.  Paragraph breaks are also another form of pauses.  A pause in writing allows the reader to stop and think about what they just read, and perhaps prepare for a new idea.   The pause allows the reader to have time for what they just read to sink in.

Photo by Hrayr Movsisyan on Unsplash

 

Commas and periods can be a way to indicate a pause in poetry too.  Poetry is not exactly like prose, it has it's own set of rules.  Also unlike prose, in poetry, it is okay to break some of the rules.  Sometimes there will be no commas or periods in the piece at all.  In that case, line breaks are something that indicates a pause.  Why would you want to incorporate pauses in your poetry at all? You don't have to, but it can really help if you or someone else is reciting the poem.  Most poems are written to be read or performed, (with the exception of some visual poetry).  The spacing between words can indicate a pause as well.  In poetry, you can put as many spaces as you want between words, or even letters.

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Perhaps you don't write poetry, but only read it.  In that case, notice the pauses if there are any.  It will help with the comprehension and emotion of the poem.  Reciting a poem, whether you are the poet, or the reader, can help you get the best feel for the piece.  Next time you read a poem, notice the pauses.  It will help you better understand what the writer is trying to convey.

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Sleep, Interrupted

By Natasha McKinley

 

She,

            Sleeps,

                           Softly.

 

There is a patter of

                                    footsteps that She

dreamily hears.

 

Awaken now.

            See what disturbs your slumber.

 

She wakes.

            It is only the footsteps of her family.

 

                                    Rest easy.

What to do for Poetry Month

It is the month of April, and the month of April is poetry month.  There are many things people can do besides write poetry.  Most obviously, they can read poetry.  Of course, you can read the classics like Shakespeare or Dickon's, but you can read current day poets too, (like me).  If you read a poet's work on your kindle, they would appreciate a review or at least a star rating.  All you have to do is click a star.  I decided to read a poetry book for this April.  

This month I decided to read Misha Collins poetry book: "Some Things I Still Can't Tell You."  Misha Collins is not famous for being a poet.  He is famous for playing the character Castielle (an Angel), on the T.V. show Supernatural.  I was very excited when I found out he was into poetry.  I saw him recite some on my Instagram account, thought it was great, and asked my husband for his book for Christmas. My husband got for it me!  Misha Collins is a very good poet, and I am very glad that I have his writing in my possession.

If you are a poet, and are published with Amazon, you can give your book away for free for up to five days.  You won't get any royalties when you do this, but you might spread your work around the world a little more.  I chose to give my book away for 3 days at the beginning this month.  Four people took advantage of the offer.  I may give "Un-Clenched Emotion" more free days in following months.  It is on Kindle Unlimited, so if you have that, it is always free.  I found out that I do get royalties if someone buys my book that way.

Naturally, if you would like to, you can write your own poetry in the month of April.  There are many poetry challenges online where they ask you to write a poem a day for the whole month of April.  I have done this in years past, but did not do a poem a day this year.  I did write a few poems this month, which I plan to submit to publication.  They are speculative poems, poems that follow a fantasy or science fiction theme.  I have a title for the other poetry chapbook, (or perhaps whole book), this time, and some more of this book to put together. The theme for this book is the Seasons. I still have a long way to go to get this finished.

I challenge you to read and/or write poetry this month.  Promote what you have already written, or write a review for an author you have read.

How to Read Poetry

It's been awhile since I added a blog post.  I have however, been working on my blog page.  Some may have noticed that I added a page to this blog called "The Written Poetry of Natasha Gruss."  It's very hard to see when you go to the home page of my blog, just a small link on the right hand bar under the pages heading.  I will post the link here so you can find it easier.  It's: https://authornatashagruss.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
While it says "written poetry", I also added YouTube Videos of me reading my poems.  I've been thinking about writing a blog post on how to read poetry for awhile, but I didn't want to do it until I was able to give samples of me doing it myself, out loud.  When posting the videos, here is the one that had the most likes when I shared it:

What to Pay Attention to While Reading Poetry

The above is an example of how to read poetry out loud.  There are two ways to read poetry: silently and out loud.  When you write poetry, it is really important to pay attention to how the poetry would sound if someone were to read your poem out loud.  Even if they read it silently, they may hear inside their head how it sounds.  There's not much to say about how to read a poem silently, it's just done.  Pay attention to punctuation and line breaks.  Like in regular grammar, a comma or period indicates a pause in the material.  Less known is that at the end of a line of poetry there should also be a pause.   Poetry can also have less conventional grammar like odd spacing, it should be self explanatory that extra spacing indicates a pause.  Emphasis should also be placed on capitalized words when reading poetry.  These things need a lot of attention when you decide to read a poem out loud.

What to Do When Reading A Poem Out Loud

So why would you put a voice to a poem?  Many people have been called on in class to read it, and they don't have a choice.  This would normally be someone else's poem, but it may be your own.  You may decide to go to a poetry reading and want to share your poem with a group.  I have experience doing both of these things.  I've been to many poetry readings through out my life, and they have all been well received.  If you can, read through a poem before you speak it.  Read through it as many times as you can so you can get a feel for it and what you are going to perform.

When sharing your poem with your voice, one of the most important things to do is to make sure your voice is loud enough to be heard.  For some people this comes naturally.  Some people need practice.  If you need practice making your voice louder, you may try speaking over the sound of a fan and see how well you can hear yourself.  Also look at the back of a room and pretend like you are speaking to someone there.  While you want to be heard, you probably don't want to shout unless your poem calls for it.

If you are going to read a poem, a good idea is to stand up and go to the front of the room.  Sometimes, like in a classroom setting, we don't get the opportunity to do this.  A sitting position can work as well, but make sure you sit up straight.  In the Poems "My World" and "Untitled Coffee Poem," I was sitting while I read the poem, but I was doing a video with a camera close to my face, so it was easy to be heard.  In my Haiku, that begins "Slip, Slip to the waves" I was standing.

Untitled Coffee Poem

Memorizing a Poem

Finally, if you are going to read a poem you have written out loud, the best thing to do before 'reading' it is to memorize it.  I have been to poetry competitions where everyone had the poem they were "reading" memorized and performed it memorized.  This is by far the best way to experience a poem.  However, if you are like me, you've written too much stuff to memorize it all.  I have sold some of my poetry, and I have felt funny not knowing my exact wording when the person has recited my words back a loud to me.  Excited that someone wanted to memorize my work though.  In the videos I did, only the Untitled Coffee Poem was memorized when I recorded it.  The Haiku that begins "Slip" I read while recording, but since it was so short, I did have it memorized.  "My World" was read and not memorized, and yet it was well received.  Memorization isn't mandatory, merely a
suggestion.

Ocean Haiku

Things to Remember

Poetry can be read silently or out loud.  It can be memorized.  It is important to read through poems before performing them and to pay attention to grammar like line breaks, odd spacing, and capitalization.  Volume and posture is important when reading a poem aloud.  I hope this post helps anyone if they encounter a situation in which they need to read a poem.