Monthly Archives: December 2010

Separation Anxiety: Poem and Performance

Posted on December 28, 2010 by

Having attended several different reading events over the last few months, I find myself wondering if an audience can separate the quality of a poem’s craft from the quality of its presentation by the reader. Over the years, I have … Continue reading →

Posted in poem-as-text, poem-as-voice, reading-as-performance | 11 Comments

On Performing Other People’s Poems or You Mean, Not Everyone Does This?

Posted on December 22, 2010 by

(Guest post by Kristin LaTour) I am pretty naïve about some things. And I assume that if I, who am generally behind the curve on most things, know about something, then most everyone else probably knew about it way before … Continue reading →

Posted in live performance, other people's poems, reading-as-performance | 12 Comments

Reading Advice: pace, tone and upward inflection

Posted on December 20, 2010 by

First reading: Second reading: Dear Voice Alpha: I am submitting herewith audio recordings for your online clinic. Sincerely, Scot Siegel (Scot reads The Fires by Ann Tweedy from Voice Alpha‘s donated poems list. If you would like Voice Alpha to … Continue reading →

Posted in internet performance, reading advice column, reading-as-performance | 3 Comments

Multiple readings of the same poem

Posted on December 17, 2010 by

Dick Jones, Kate Fitzpatrick and I tackle The Slender Scent by James Robison, sent in to Whale Sound as an audio submission by Kate. Listen here. Thanks to James for letting us read his poem!

Posted in internet performance, other people's poems, reading-as-performance | 3 Comments

Reading advice: What to do about a ‘slavish attachment to iambic pentameter’?

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

Dear Voice Alpha: In response to your impassioned plea for a brave poetic soul to step forward to accept friendly advice on their reading technique from the Voice Alpha gang, I attach a poem sound file of Möbius (originally published at Umbrella … Continue reading →

Posted in reading advice column, reading-as-performance | 11 Comments

Reading Advice: Issues with breath & returning to reading in public after years

Posted on December 15, 2010 by

Dear Voice Alpha: I’m giving a reading on Saturday, so I’m grateful for any advice. I haven’t read my poems in public in years.  Just listening, I could see where some of the problems are – breath is an issue … Continue reading →

Posted in reading advice column | 9 Comments

Make Your Poetry Reading More Like a Festive Party than a Forced Eating of Rutabagas

Posted on December 13, 2010 by

I must be honest:  I never thought much about what to bring with me to a poetry reading until last April.  Don’t get me wrong—I did the obvious things.  I checked to make sure I had enough poems to read … Continue reading →

Posted in live performance, mechanics and logistics | 6 Comments

What does ‘reading well’ mean?

Posted on December 11, 2010 by

I just got (if I understood it correctly) an excellent question from Shelley at this post (which talked about the new Voice Alpha poetry reading advice column). Shelley asked what the Voice Alpha criteria are for deciding if a poem … Continue reading →

Posted in internet performance, live performance, reading-as-performance, tip: do this! | 3 Comments

‘the poem, ultimately, belongs to the reader’ – by Rachel Dacus

Posted on December 10, 2010 by

(Guest post by Rachel Dacus) My poetry group was in a restless mood. They wanted to change up the routine. Someone suggested that instead of reading our own poems, we pass our poems around the circle and have someone else … Continue reading →

Posted in other people's poems, reading-as-performance | 10 Comments

Can a good poetry reading get you laid?

Posted on December 9, 2010 by

In an interview at Nic Sebastian’s blog, Kathleen Fitzpatrick — who submits poems on behalf of her poet-husband, W.F. Lantry — mentions “the very famous poet who’d stolen his girlfriend away for the evening after a reading. Twice. With two … Continue reading →

Posted in reading-as-performance | 12 Comments