T.C. Boyle once said that “Most writers are writers because they are introverts who have chosen a profession in which they don’t have to deal with anyone.” While it may be painful for them to be out in the public eye, it shouldn’t be painful for people to listen to them read from their books — but all too often, it is.
I would add: Love your poem (in my case). (It's the ancestor of "don't apologize.") Read it with the care and sense of joy and dread you had when you wrote/revised it. Cherish each word, each comma and line break. Act like you own those words
Excellent advice. May I add that Zoom needs yet another dimension of advice? I have been present at Zoom readings where the quality of the sound was so poor that I couldn't understand the reader; where the camera was pointed up so that the reader's chin and mouth were not visible, and the audience was looking up the reader's nostrils; where the room was pitch dark, including the reader's face; where the lighting was from behind or at a peculiar angle, not becoming to the reader. To a performer, staging is of critical importance. Tech issues should not be ignored.
Excellent points. Thank you. I would only add that if you are reading poetry, please avoid the "poet's voice." It drives people crazy, and it doesn't make work more poetic. Stylization can be brilliant. Joseph Brodsky tended toward a chant when he read his work, and his readings were amazing. But, Auden, whose poems were strongly metered like Brodsky's, read in a very conversational style. The conversational style, essentially reading against the meter, is the one I prefer. For cadenced poems, as opposed to metered, there's not much excuse to depart from a conversational voice. The best advice I can give anyone reading their poems is to listen to the poem while reading it. That way, the audience will hear what you hear, without dramatizing or unnatural pacing. A lot of readers speed up because of the stress. (Message to the audience: "I want to get out of here!") If you listen to the poem as you read, this is far less likely to happen. Ultimately, the style of the reading depends on the material being read. Etheridge Knight was one of the best readers I've heard, and he read in his own stylized way, but it suited his work. Joanne Kyger was also quite a performer of her poems. Some work is more suited to performance than others. The way you know how to read/perform your work is by listening to it. This post is solely directed to reading poems. I know absolutely nothing about reading fiction or non-fiction. Thanks again!
If I'm listening to a literary reading, and the poet / author keeps repeating "ummm," after the 3rd "ummm" I'm gone. Sorry but it means the individual did not rehearse, was unprepared, and is lazy or clueless.
Another thing to avoid is holding a book up to the computer screen to show off an inside page. It's awkward, interrupts the flow, and the drawing (or whatever) will be hard to see. If artwork, etc. needs to be displayed, print it out on a separate sheet, please, and hold up a clear flat copy.
Actors rehearse; wordsmiths ought to, too. Be memorable - - for the right reasons. :-)
I think this would go over well with younger students particularly, to have someone come in and just starting speaking to them, no fumbling with books or papers. A reminder of the oral tradition and all that jazz.
I was on my college forensics team for two years, way back when, and while I didn't win anything, I did learn how to modify text for readings. I also was a lector during my church days, and, again, went through training.
These points are excellent. I've done quite a few readings of my work and I do enjoy performing them. But I will practice my readings, time them, and have a couple of just-in-case length options should something happen to the alloted time I have for readings.
Great advice. I also mark up my text before reading with symbols for where I should slow down or emphasize a word or a phrase or where I need to pause. It's like notating a musical score. No one else would probably know what the marking mean, but it really helps when the time comes to perform the story.
This is good advice, though the thought of anyone being offered a 30-minuter slot appals me! Most readings are deadly, stilted affairs, even when one (or more) of those reading reads well. I wonder how much printed matter is ever shifted by the reading part of a reading, rather than the 'event' itself.
Some people are naturally good readers, some, it seems naturally awful. It surprises me when writers are bad readers - haven't they been hearing what they're writing in their mind's ear? Haven't they been reading it aloud to check how it sounds?
Funny story from my first Zoom reading. Lighting was good, framed my head well, had my text printed out oversized for easy reading. To avoid the dreaded “looking down” syndrome, I set my pages on a stand just to the left of my IPad. Thought it had gone flawlessly, until the reading was posted on YouTube a few days later. Because I was constantly looking off to the side, I looked decidedly shifty. Would anyone buy a used car from this guy? Won’t do that again!
I would add: Love your poem (in my case). (It's the ancestor of "don't apologize.") Read it with the care and sense of joy and dread you had when you wrote/revised it. Cherish each word, each comma and line break. Act like you own those words
I'm the Managing Editor of Pangyrus Lit Mag and this is a post I'm going to save to share with readers before events! Very solid advice. Thanks!
Excellent advice. May I add that Zoom needs yet another dimension of advice? I have been present at Zoom readings where the quality of the sound was so poor that I couldn't understand the reader; where the camera was pointed up so that the reader's chin and mouth were not visible, and the audience was looking up the reader's nostrils; where the room was pitch dark, including the reader's face; where the lighting was from behind or at a peculiar angle, not becoming to the reader. To a performer, staging is of critical importance. Tech issues should not be ignored.
Excellent points. Thank you. I would only add that if you are reading poetry, please avoid the "poet's voice." It drives people crazy, and it doesn't make work more poetic. Stylization can be brilliant. Joseph Brodsky tended toward a chant when he read his work, and his readings were amazing. But, Auden, whose poems were strongly metered like Brodsky's, read in a very conversational style. The conversational style, essentially reading against the meter, is the one I prefer. For cadenced poems, as opposed to metered, there's not much excuse to depart from a conversational voice. The best advice I can give anyone reading their poems is to listen to the poem while reading it. That way, the audience will hear what you hear, without dramatizing or unnatural pacing. A lot of readers speed up because of the stress. (Message to the audience: "I want to get out of here!") If you listen to the poem as you read, this is far less likely to happen. Ultimately, the style of the reading depends on the material being read. Etheridge Knight was one of the best readers I've heard, and he read in his own stylized way, but it suited his work. Joanne Kyger was also quite a performer of her poems. Some work is more suited to performance than others. The way you know how to read/perform your work is by listening to it. This post is solely directed to reading poems. I know absolutely nothing about reading fiction or non-fiction. Thanks again!
Great advice with lots of specific examples. Thanks!
If I'm listening to a literary reading, and the poet / author keeps repeating "ummm," after the 3rd "ummm" I'm gone. Sorry but it means the individual did not rehearse, was unprepared, and is lazy or clueless.
Another thing to avoid is holding a book up to the computer screen to show off an inside page. It's awkward, interrupts the flow, and the drawing (or whatever) will be hard to see. If artwork, etc. needs to be displayed, print it out on a separate sheet, please, and hold up a clear flat copy.
Actors rehearse; wordsmiths ought to, too. Be memorable - - for the right reasons. :-)
The best tip I've ever received, "Love your words."
i sometimes read poems i am working on with a creative group.. some good suggestions here, esp. do not apologize...
Dana Gioia suggested memorizing at least some of the poems that you’ll be reading. Then it’s a recital, not just a reading.
Here he is reciting one of his well-known short poems, “Money”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBiW4IWwRgc
I think this would go over well with younger students particularly, to have someone come in and just starting speaking to them, no fumbling with books or papers. A reminder of the oral tradition and all that jazz.
I was on my college forensics team for two years, way back when, and while I didn't win anything, I did learn how to modify text for readings. I also was a lector during my church days, and, again, went through training.
These points are excellent. I've done quite a few readings of my work and I do enjoy performing them. But I will practice my readings, time them, and have a couple of just-in-case length options should something happen to the alloted time I have for readings.
The key is to be aware that it is a performance.
For poets, participate in open mics and readings. I do this a couple of times a month. It is good practice, usually in front of a supportive audience.
Great advice. I also mark up my text before reading with symbols for where I should slow down or emphasize a word or a phrase or where I need to pause. It's like notating a musical score. No one else would probably know what the marking mean, but it really helps when the time comes to perform the story.
Thank you for these super-helpful tips. I’m a newbie as far as public readings and will definitely use this at an upcoming event next month.
And let’s not forget the example of Amanda Gorman’s reading from two years ago tomorrow. No stage fright there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4
Patrick Gillespie over at Poem Shape looked at the many interesting rhetorical devices she used. Well worth the read:
https://poemshape.wordpress.com/2021/02/12/a-brief-look-at-amanda-gormans-inaugural-poem/
This is good advice, though the thought of anyone being offered a 30-minuter slot appals me! Most readings are deadly, stilted affairs, even when one (or more) of those reading reads well. I wonder how much printed matter is ever shifted by the reading part of a reading, rather than the 'event' itself.
Some people are naturally good readers, some, it seems naturally awful. It surprises me when writers are bad readers - haven't they been hearing what they're writing in their mind's ear? Haven't they been reading it aloud to check how it sounds?
Funny story from my first Zoom reading. Lighting was good, framed my head well, had my text printed out oversized for easy reading. To avoid the dreaded “looking down” syndrome, I set my pages on a stand just to the left of my IPad. Thought it had gone flawlessly, until the reading was posted on YouTube a few days later. Because I was constantly looking off to the side, I looked decidedly shifty. Would anyone buy a used car from this guy? Won’t do that again!