What Drives A Poet

[william williams]

Leonie Don’t be silly If you can read them then you can recite them. I rarely perform my works in a performance competition and do you want to know why cause I cannot remember them so I read them out aloud, yes that’s right ask Frank Daniels he’ll tell you. I do read them out aloud in pubs, festival’s, poets breakfasts. So what! don’t be a ninny let everybody enjoy what you write. What’s that you say, your not game, BULL! if you can tell me off, then you are game enough.
Why even have a couple of sherry’s to calm your nerves but don’t have to many, and remember, be as yobber as a sudge

BILL THE OLD BATTLER

[Maureen K Clifford]

My feelings exactly Bill - if the reading of poetry as opposed to the reciting of poetry was considered acceptable in esteemed poetry circles I too would be more inclined to give it a go. Like you and Leonie I can't remember either and also like Leonie can't remember half of what I have written even by title when I go looking for something down the track.

Horses for courses I reckon. Maybe Leonie and I should look at starting up a group here in Ipswich along the lines of Zondraes group with the emphasis on reading the written word - Poetry as she is writ perhaps? I don't think we have a poetry group in Ipswich or if we do I have been unable to source it. Seems a bit strange really when our town runs a Poetry Feast every year that appears to be becoming increasingly popular.

[Leonie]

Actually there is a group here or so I believe, but I haven't been able to find any reference to it on the net. I read about it somewhere but can't remember where. Now there's a surprise (that I can't remember).

[Leonie]

Thanks for the geeup Bill, you're right, I should think about reading them. I actually was called on to read a poem at my grandaughter's naming ceremony (not one of mine) and handled it quite well I think. I was rather surprised that I wasn't nervous at all really. My ex (who had to read it with me) was a lot more nervous than I was, but that might have been because I was standing beside him.

[Heather]

I'm another who reads because I can't remember my own poems. I often can remember the first line and that's all. I know reciting is the next step if I decide to go that route. It is more important to me to deliver well than to try and recite and stuff it up.

Could always ask the audience to close their eyes and then they won't know if you are reading or reciting.

Heather

[Terry]

I rarely read or recite, it's not that I can't learn and remember them, it's just that I usually can't be bothered learning them. A couple of months ago I recited one with no problems and read the next one. Last night I went again to our muster having been asked at the last minute to do something, this time I made a bit of a hash of it. I recited part of the first one and switched to reading the rest of it, it was quite a long poem and While far from perfect it wasn't too bad, but the second one I made a mess of it trying to read parts and recite other bits, I'll never do that again. You either learn the poem well enough to recite or you read it, otherwise I'm convinced you will come to grief. l Agree with Bill and the others there's nothing wrong with reading them but make sure you practice and get used of your poem and work out where you want to pause it may be different from how you have written it, that's where I messed up last night I should at least have tried to read it a few times to get the feel of it first.
Go on Leonie you have some really good poems and you should have the pleasure of presenting them as you intended them be.

Cheers Terry

[Bob Pacey]

Go on you guys. Learning poems off by heart takes a lot of effort and time. I sometimes freak out at the time it takes but will not attempt to share it until I have it down pat. The only time I have read a poem is when i have a very private group and want to sound them out as to a poems suitabilty and if it is good then I'll learn it.

It takes a lot of committment if you want to go down that track and even then you have to go over them on regular basis if you want them to stay fresh. I keep a list of all the poems I have memorised in my pocket at all times and will quite often start from the top and work my way through them just to freshen them up in my mind. I would have done 20 poems today and even though I know I missed two verses in one my audience did not.


Now reading is ok but I find that if they are memorised you can focus on the actions and that to me makes it more entertaining and thats what I'm looking for as a lot of my functions are paid performances.

Then you have someone like Kym who can still get the message accross by reading and gets a good reaction.

To each their own but there is no such a word as can't


Bob

[warooa]

I know what you mean Bob, I'm currently working on memorising more of my work. I did a gig last weekend and in one poem I missed one rhyming couplet (out of 72!) and obviously no-one knew but geez I was filthy on myself. Ironically looking at the title of this forum subject . . I spend at least an hour a day highway driving and use that driving time to recite - whilst dodging unfenced cattle big hopperoo's.

Marty

[Vic Jefferies]

Reading and reciting are two distinct skills. I recite and have done so professionally at many venues, HOWEVER, I started by reading my poems at poetry events and folk clubs before ever I saw a bush (performance) poet and when I did I was immediately convinced that was the way to go. The performer actually entertained the audience and I was greatly impressed, so impressed that I decided that was for me!
While some will argue there is no or little difference between reciting and/or reading a poem before an audience I think you will invariably find this is the argument used by those who don't or wont recite.
The difference is pretty much the same as someone appearing in a play on the stage and reading his/her part as opposed to the accomplished actor who learns the script and then interprets the part.
Having said that I think it is definitely time that there was a section in competitions for those who wish to read, as I believe this would encourage more people to become involved in the art. It has been my experience that those encouraged to read are soon eager to learn to recite and I have seen many move, very successfully, from reading to reciting and then on to writing.
The alternative is to continue to discourage reading in competitions and to continue to suffer a decline in our membership.
The one thing I would stress however, is that the same rigorous "skill" test be applied to the reader as is applied to the reciter. By that I mean if they are going to read please ensure they read well! I am constantly amazed by those who turn up at poetry venues armed with their favourite or even their own poem and then proceed to make an absolute hash of reading the work obviously due to lack of preparation or understanding of what they are doing.

[Terry]

No ones arguing that memorizing isn't the way to go if possible, but some people for various reasons have lost that ability.I agree that reading is an art in itself and you need to practice just the same as if you have memorized, some are natural readers others aren't.
Then there's the third category like me who have the ability but are just too damn lazy to learn.

Cheers Terry