Although most of us get our poetry fix from the written word, the spoken word can be just as fulfilling. Unfortunately, there is a great divide when it comes to the written and spoken word. We tend to forget that poetry began as an oral art. Of course, when most of us are invited to read our poetry aloud, whether it is to a friend, a loved one, or a crowded theatre of strangers, we freeze up. However, I’ve found that it helps to know that poets before me took part in the ritual of reading as well. So, my goal with this column is to help you embrace your inner poet and tackle the other (often ignored) aspect of writing poetry, reading aloud.
When I first began reading and recording my work, what was most helpful was listening to other poets. I collected cassette tapes of poets like they were baseball cards. I studied cadences so that I could find my own. For me, nothing is better than reading Anne Sexton…well, one thing is better than reading her and that is listening to her hoarse voice. She breathes even more life into the poems, word by word. I scoured independent bookstore walls looking for readings and consumed reading after reading. After I listened to as many tapes as I could get my hands on and attended all the readings, I began practicing reading my poems by myself. I walked around my apartment and read poem after poem, still slowly developing my own rhythms. Once I felt somewhat confident, I began reading at open mics. I found that reading one poem was the perfect public practice. Before I knew it, I became the hostess of one of the open mics I frequented. My fear of reading aloud did not dissipate overnight, but I think it’s important to remember as trite and cliché as it sounds, it’s never too late. Don’t let your fear of reading in public deter you from contributing to poetry in the way poetry was first meant to be consumed.
