Tomorrow I am doing a poetry reading.. as in an out loud reading of my words in front of real people! If anyone has done this before and has any tips to give me, I would greatly appreciate it!! Im trying to decide between the following poems:
Poetry Reading
Published by Nina Bell
Nina Bell is my creation. She is a free spirit of words, poems and stories. Her name is so, because her words ring true to this writer's soul. She is but the creation of a lonely girl, whose emotions and never ending thoughts consumed her, and so, she had to set them free. View all posts by Nina Bell
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How exciting! I love them all, but the Right Thing is my favorite. Good luck, I know you’ll do great.
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Thanks Sandy!!! I’ll let you know how it goes!
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Here are two tips I always give new readers:
1. Rehearse. Rehearse. Rehearse. Practice reading your poems aloud many many times. If you think you’ve done it enough, you’re nearly there. Also, time yourself so you know how long each poems takes. Most places have time limits and you don’t want to be impolite and run long.
2. Read slower. This will be tough your first time due to nerves but almost all new readers read too fast. Go as slow as you can so your audience can really hear and process your poetry.
Break a leg! I hope you’ll post a full report here after the show.
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Thank you so much, Bartholomew! Sounds like some solid advice from someone whose had their fair of readings? Fighting those nerves is the most difficult part for me. I’ve definitely been practicing enunciating my words and slowing down. My cats haven’t complained..yet.
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I’ve been performing at open mics for about ten years. I also used to hold an open mic workshop where we’d help each other improve our performances which was both fun and I learned a lot too.
And when you’re cats start to complain, that’s when you’re getting it right. Feline poetics are very different from human.
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That’s amazing! I’m hoping to learn from it as well and become more comfortable speaking in public.
This is very true about the cats. I’ll have to practice louder!
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