Poetry Slam

Wednesday Addams

Hi guys,

I've been writing since I was a kid and I have a poetry blog now that's doing pretty well..so that's given me a bit more confidence. I've recently been looking into 'slam poetry', and I was wondering if any of you guys have done it or attended a session? I'm not great with public speaking, but it's something I'd love to attend...I'm just worried I'd feel like a bit of a tool if it's a certain group of regulars, especially since I'm a total newbie at that kind of thing.

If anyone could tell me what it's like or if you've done any yourself and how iT went for you, I'd really appreciate it

WD

Insect Overlord

I was at the All-Ireland Slam Poetry finals in Limerick in 2008. It was an interesting experience!

Some of the poets had their material learned off and others read it from the page. Some of them narrated calmly, some others rapped, others performed as if on stage with hand-gestures and changes of tone/volume.

There's a bit more acceptance of swear-words too. :pac:

But even experience of regular poetry recitals is an education. I got a poem published when I was a teenager and went along to the journal launch and found that a lot of much older writers were very nervous reading. Some of the same people kept going every week, learn new techniques, building new relationships, finding new sources of inspiration and getting more practice reading in front of a group. A lot of the nervous, stuttering new poets I met 6 years ago are now very highly regarded around Munster.

Nobody will expect you to be amazing from the beginning. You're more likely to be offered mountains of conflicting advice from people with very different tastes and beliefs about writing!

Wednesday Addams

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I was at the All-Ireland Slam Poetry finals in Limerick in 2008. It was an interesting experience!

Some of the poets had their material learned off and others read it from the page. Some of them narrated calmly, some others rapped, others performed as if on stage with hand-gestures and changes of tone/volume.

There's a bit more acceptance of swear-words too. :pac:

But even experience of regular poetry recitals is an education. I got a poem published when I was a teenager and went along to the journal launch and found that a lot of much older writers were very nervous reading. Some of the same people kept going every week, learn new techniques, building new relationships, finding new sources of inspiration and getting more practice reading in front of a group. A lot of the nervous, stuttering new poets I met 6 years ago are now very highly regarded around Munster.

Nobody will expect you to be amazing from the beginning. You're more likely to be offered mountains of conflicting advice from people with very different tastes and beliefs about writing!

Thanks alot I guess the thing is that it seems to be a different style of poetry - finding the right rhythm and that kind of thing, not sure I'd be any use at it!! Some of my poems would be too short for this kind of thing. I do write longer kind of 'prose', but not sure it'd work as spoken word? See the thing is, I'm not a 'technical' poet, I mean...I just write that I feel. I never edit, I never really 'think' - I just write. I know a lot of people won't agree with me, but I think that boxing poetry in with rules and do's and don't's just takes away from the very essence of it! It should be free - not restricted. I've been sticker bombing a bit around Dublin too and I'm really excited today because someone found and tweeted one of my stickers for the first time But it's all anonymous, so a poetry slam would be a massive thing for me. I'd also be anxious as hell about turning up now knowing anyone

.

Insect Overlord

Wednesday Addams wrote: »

See the thing is, I'm not a 'technical' poet, I mean...I just write that I feel. I never edit, I never really 'think' - I just write. I know a lot of people won't agree with me, but I think that boxing poetry in with rules and do's and don't's just takes away from the very essence of it! It should be free - not restricted.

I think there's a line between poetry as an art form and writing as a means of pure expression. The latter is therapeutic to the writer, but may not be enjoyable for the reader/audience. The former nearly always requires some revision, editing, polishing, practice.

There should be some logic to the flow of your ideas. It's harder to make sense of the poet's message when their ideas are jumbled up. You might have a brilliant line in the last verse that fits in better somewhere in the middle, or you might have an image in the middle that sounds great but really takes the reader's focus off the meaning of the poem. Editing lets you put those lines in order, tighten up your rhymes (which are a major feature of slam/spoken poetry) or save lines that don't work in one poem but that might be fantastic in another.

Critics might laud your raw potential for a while, but if you're not making the effort to hone your skills you run the risk of just reading from a stream-of-consciousness diary rather than performing a poem/rap/work of art.

Wednesday Addams

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I think there's a line between poetry as an art form and writing as a means of pure expression. The latter is therapeutic to the writer, but may not be enjoyable for the reader/audience. The former nearly always requires some revision, editing, polishing, practice.

There should be some logic to the flow of your ideas. It's harder to make sense of the poet's message when their ideas are jumbled up. You might have a brilliant line in the last verse that fits in better somewhere in the middle, or you might have an image in the middle that sounds great but really takes the reader's focus off the meaning of the poem. Editing lets you put those lines in order, tighten up your rhymes (which are a major feature of slam/spoken poetry) or save lines that don't work in one poem but that might be fantastic in another.

Critics might laud your raw potential for a while, but if you're not making the effort to hone your skills you run the risk of just reading from a stream-of-consciousness diary rather than performing a poem/rap/work of art.

Ah okay, to be honest then I think it just might not be for me! I wouldn't agree with that at all. Thanks alot though for taking time to get back to me, I appreciate it

Insect Overlord

Wednesday Addams wrote: »

Ah okay, to be honest then I think it just might not be for me! I wouldn't agree with that at all. Thanks alot though for taking time to get back to me, I appreciate it

What makes you say that? Are you afraid of having to do a little bit of hard work? :P

I didn't mean to make it sound like there's hours of tedious work in writing a poem. You don't have to restrict yourself to sonnets or villanelles, or get stressed over strict ABAB or AABB rhyming schemes. They're a different kind of challenge.

But, unless you get one of those awesome moments of inspiration when a poem comes out instantly perfect, you do have some responsibility to give an audience something more than just a first draft.

Could you post or PM me a link to your blog so I can see some of what you've been writing?

Wednesday Addams

Insect Overlord wrote: »

What makes you say that? Are you afraid of having to do a little bit of hard work? :P

I didn't mean to make it sound like there's hours of tedious work in writing a poem. You don't have to restrict yourself to sonnets or villanelles, or get stressed over strict ABAB or AABB rhyming schemes. They're a different kind of challenge.

But, unless you get one of those awesome moments of inspiration when a poem comes out instantly perfect, you do have some responsibility to give an audience something more than just a first draft.

Could you post or PM me a link to your blog so I can see some of what you've been writing?

No not at all, it's nothing to do with hard work. But I really do strongly feel that there's a rawness and emotion in unedited work that you just don't get when it's edited. As for sonnets, rhyming schemes etc. - I'd never have done that anyway!

I just think it's not for me, I was just looking into it.

wil

My one an a half pennys - it can take a reader to make a poem.
Read in dead pan unless that is intended will probably just bore even with a brilliant poem.
I heard Liam Clancy reciting Yeats among others on RTE and his reading colours every word with sounds and smells.
Especially like his rendition of the Stolen child (8 mins in)
Its available here Only my dreams

Insect Overlord

Wednesday Addams wrote: »

But I really do strongly feel that there's a rawness and emotion in unedited work that you just don't get when it's edited.

If editing is taking the emotion out of the poem, then it's probably not being done very well.

I'll have a look through your blog tomorrow anyway.

Wednesday Addams

Insect Overlord wrote: »

If editing is taking the emotion out of the poem, then it's probably not being done very well.

I'll have a look through your blog tomorrow anyway.

I think I'm just going to leave it. You don't need to read through it but thanks all the same. See, I began writing for 'me', and other people just happened to like what I wrote. I don't think I'll ever write primarily for other people.

I appreciate all of the replies though, thanks again.

Insect Overlord

Huh. Account closed. Oh well.

If all it takes to put you off reading to an audience is one anonymous poster on one Internet forum offering his own humble opinion, then you were probably right. Maybe it's not for you.

tusk

Hmmm... never really thought about doing this kind of thing, but started reading over some of my old stuff and there's a couple that I think would work well read aloud. Appreciate the thread, even if OP legged it.