Inside of two weeks before my first poetry reading, I often solicit advice from experienced poets who have read many times at many venues. Part of me asks about myself and the poems I should choose. The other part asks about the crowd. Or maybe “the crowd” (accent on quotation marks). What I’ve heard so far:
- It’s possible no one will show up. (Do you read to no one if “it” arrives and fills the assembled seats with its nothingness? Does a tree in a forest primeval make a sound if it falls beyond human ears? Discuss. At the mic. Or possibly the mike.)
- Crowds can be fidgety. Remember that as you decide on poems for the reading.
- Have fun.
- Start and end with stronger poems.
- Mix types of poems–funny, sad, long, short, reflective, assertive. Repeat and contrast, repeat and contrast.
- Introduce each poem with a brief anecdote. Accent on brief.
- Have fun.
- Don’t read too fast. In fact, you should think you’re reading a bit too slow. That will be about the right pace.
- Project and enunciate.
- Practice reading your poems beforehand. Not a little. A lot. Especially if you’re a tyro.
- Have fun.
- If you sell copies of your book (or even a single copy of your book) afterwards, give thanks. It’s gravy. Don’t expect dozens of listeners to beat a path to your signing table.
- If you’re featured with another reader, give her/him the option of going first or second.
- If your fellow featured reader is the hottest poet since the King James Bible writers, call in sick.
- Are we having fun yet?