Performing poetry

To those who think they don’t like poetry, it can be torture to be subjected to it. Consider the best way to be respectful to your audience. Consider the habits and presentation foibles that annoy you, and work to ensure you do not have those issues in your performance. Be kind to those who will see you afterward, who may feel inclined to give you their honest opinion.

Some rules I follow based on my tastes

• If you want the audience to know something about your poem, make sure it’s already in your poem. Before your performance, behave as if people haven’t heard your poem before, because they haven’t. Giving them a story or defining words that are in your poem without the context of the poem is a sure fire way to make them check out. If you have a story about the poem that would entertain, tell it after the poem. Make sure they’re in on the joke. And for the love of all that is good, keep it short.
• Leave the audience wanting more. If you’re asked to read between ten to fifteen minutes, aim for ten. Most readings are not an exhaustive encyclopedia of all your work. Consider the reading a taster, meant to get people to buy your book or visit your blog or listen to your podcast, or just to remember it fondly as a time someone heard poetry and didn’t want to scream into a pillow.
• Make eye contact with your audience. Know your poem well enough to be able to recite it partially from memory. Failing that, glance at the line you’re about to read, look up, and say the line. It’s okay if you take your time.
• Practice. Know what your words sound like coming out of your mouth. Know roughly how long your poem will take to recite.
• What can you learn from other poetry performances? Look on YouTube for some good performances. What do you love about them? What do you hate?
• What can you learn from other types of performances? How is performing poetry like stand-up comedy? Or like a rock show? Or a good weather forecast? Or Steve Jobs unveiling the Macbook Air? Is there a way to be present enough to make it fun for you as well as the audience?
• Could you use some dazzle? Or just a better use for your hands than flipping pages in a notebook? How can technology help you perform better?
• Have fun! Otherwise, why are you here?