I am someone who isn’t a natural at readings. I don’t like people looking at me. I have always been self conscious about my voice, and my accent which I haven’t been able to shake. When there are so many poets about with beautiful reading voices, and no regional accent, I have always felt as if I don’t fit in this area. It seems there are only two types of reading, performance poets who are funny and perform their work (who have the advantage of being able to make an audience like them instantly), and poetry readings by poets with these beautiful voices. I think there is a major class awareness that comes in to my uneasiness with doing readings, which I just can’t seem to shake.

When I was first asked to a reading about 6 years ago I really struggled with the decision of whether to do it or not, due to feeling nervous and self conscious about all this stuff. But I think it is helpful to do readings. I am still struggling with were I fit in to the poetry world, and feel as if learning how to do readings is an ongoing process for me, so my own personal tips are really just how I approach it (and you will be able to add your own.) I am not a performance poet, so these are purely simple tips on how to do readings.

If you aren’t comfortable with readings it is a good idea to start going to open mic nights so you can practice having to read in front of people. I used to go to a night called Stand and Deliver at The Old George, I didn’t know anyone there, which in a way made it easier if I messed up. Stand and Deliver isn’t on anymore, but there are always events with open mic’s popping up around the region (the latest is Exploding Alphabets at Morden tower, it is on once a month and you can read unpublished work there.)

Reading Tips

1. Always turn up early, so that you can check out were you are going to read, and find out from the organisers when you are going to be on. I personally hate reading first, as I don’t feel I am confident enough to break the ice with an audience. If you are nervous reading last sounds appealing, but in fact this isn’t good either as it gives you longer waiting and allows nerves to build up. Liz Lochead once said that the best slot to read in is second, so you don’t have to break the ice, and can get it over with if you are nervous, and then sit back and enjoy the rest of the night.
2. Don’t be afraid to use the mic (if there is one.) Many poets I talk to tell me they hate to use a mic, and I have never understood why. I can only put it down to people hating to hear their own voice, and fear of something going wrong with technology (I hate my voice, like I said too rough and with a funny accent, and far too high pitched like Minnie mouse, so if I can do it you can.) I am always really irritated at readings were I have to strain to hear a poem when there is a perfectly good mic next to the poet he or she isn’t using. The beauty of a mic is that when it works it takes away one problem of trying to make yourself loud enough, which is a gift.(If you know anyone who uses a mic ask them to show you how to use it and you will feel better.)
3. Always decide what you are going to read before a gig, and practise a run through. This gives you the opportunity to see how the set works, if there are contrasts or themes in there that fit together.
4. Make sure once you have selected the poems that you have them in order in a form that is comfortable for you to read from (be it a book, a folder or A4 sheets.) I hate to see poets raking through piles of paper looking for what poem they will read next. The audience is waiting, and it seems a little rude to me. Another reason to be prepared like this is that if you are nervous it will only add to your nerves to have people looking at you while you flutter about with pages. Preparation can’t get rid of nerves, but in my experience it does help keep them under control.
5. Make sure that before the gig you have checked how long the organisers want you to read. If you are getting paid (ah, so few and far between the luxury of paid gigs…) you don’t want to disappoint the organisers by reading for 5 minutes if they had 20 minutes in mind. Likewise it is bad form to read a lot longer than people intended you to. Remember it may seem like you are offering them value for money for reading 10 minutes longer, but a lot of nights have a lot packed in, and it is rude to the organisers to over read. Also it is discourteous to poets who may be waiting to read after you. The longer you read the more time they have to get nervous waiting, so always try to stick to your time.
6. Wear something that makes you feel good. This sounds silly I know, but if you are prone to nerves anything you can do can help your frame of mind. I feel I would read very differently if I wore a comfy jumper or something, and tend to wear things that make me feel less like slouching (and I think make me look less short- of course they don’t, but do whatever it takes to make you feel more comfortable with yourself.)
7. It is a good idea when you first start doing readings to have an idea of what you may say between poems. If you are comfortable speaking in public this won’t apply, but if you are not it may help. I personally dislike poets giving overly long introductions to a poem, sometimes they last longer than the poem and just give too much information, because I just want to hear the poem. Giving an overly long intro can make an audience twitchy, and can give the impression that the poem isn’t doing its job- why else would you need to explain it so much? Saying that, people do like to hear what you have to say about a poem, so as long as you keep it brief this is a good idea. The temptation for me has always been to say nothing between poems other than “this poem is called”, and just race through it, so that I can get off stage quicker, so I have had to make myself say a bit more and practise at this, which is ongoing.)
8. Something I have learnt from disastrous gigs is always to have a back up poem or two. This won’t apply always, and depends on what type of work you write. But since there are sometimes adult subject matter or language in my poems recently I make sure to have back up safe poems to read at things, in case I get to the venue and discover that there are children or seniors in the audience.
9. I have attended workshops on performance were the leaders have said that is important to know your work and do away with the need to read your work off a page altogether. I can see the advantages of this, but have tried this, and have never felt comfortable with it. Whether you chose to recite your poems or read them is a personal choice, down to what you are comfortable with. For me I found it added an extra pressure of whether or not I will forget my lines (which I have done before, and make sure you have a back up paper with the poem on in your pocket in case this happens), and also left me feeling a bit lost with what to do with my hands and feeling a bit insecure with the security blankets of papers which seem to say to the audience ‘look it’s alright I am a poet honestly.’ It is a good idea though to know your poems as well as possible even if you want to have the page in front of you. This enables you to read a bit more smoothly, and people can listen to the words rather than wait for you to turn a page. I like to try and relax before a reading to help my nerves; and tend to have a bath and while I soaking read by heart the poems I am going to read. It helps me feel better to know that I know the poems, and helps me feel better about the reading since the acoustics in the bathroom are great!
10. We can all spot new readers, who tend to bury their head in their bits of paper and never look up once during a reading. I was exactly the same. Performers tell me to look at the audience during a reading, but this is something I find difficult (since I actually don’t engage in eye contact with people that much in everyday life.) But it is a good idea to look up from the page (at least from time to time) as this will enable your voice to project more clearly. My trick with this, since I don’t want to look at individual audience members (afterall what if they are asleep or something?, could be off putting) I tend to either focus on something at the back of the room at about audience level, or if there is someone I know there imagine I am reading to them, which gives the impression that I am looking at the audience when I daren’t!
11. Know your limit. I once went to a workshop in performance with Joolz and she was quite adamant about not drinking alcohol if you are doing a reading. The temptation for Dutch courage is always there, but it is unprofessional to go on stage drunk, and chances are you will read a lot worse and won’t be asked to again. I’m not as disciplined as Joolz, but I do have a policy of drinking no more than one or two bottles of beer before reading (about a pint and a half), so that I would never go on stage drunk.. Know what your limit is, how much you know can drink at most before being drunk and stick to it. I sip water prior to going on stage, though I have heard stories of people doing different things (including eating a cream egg to make the vocal chords smooth!)
12. If you still aren’t sure if it’s all going to be OK, it is useful to record yourself reading the poems and then play them back. Once you get past the cringe of hearing your own voice really listen to how the poems are being read, make notes on bits that could be said in a different tome of voice, bits that should be said more clearly or slowly, etc. You can then use your notes to improve how you read the poems. Another possibility is to ask someone to listen to you read the poems, and then give you feedback on bits they thought could be read differently. This is something I still do, not for every reading, but when I am about to do a reading and am reading a set of poems which I haven’t read before, and it always proves useful.

Some of you may have noticed that when discussing my favourite poems in collections they are rarely the same as the poems I most like to do at readings. The reason for this is that some poems seem to be on the page poems, that a reader may want to come back to and re examine, and aren’t that immediate. For this reason such poems don’t always work well at readings (likewise I find very short poems difficult to read out, as there is no time to get into reading them, and the impression an audience gives is that they are not sure if this the end of the poem or not- the only poet I have ever seen make reading short poems work is the inimitable Ali May.) Depending on where the reading is, and what the audience may be like, I tend to mix in more difficult poems with poems that are more immediate, funny, or contain popular culture references. It is hard to take in every word, and a poetry reading can be quite hard work on an audience, so I like to give them a break by including the odd poem that requires less from them. Another reason a poem may be my favourite to read may be the tome it requires, or that it contains words I quite like. I find that it is often a good idea to start a reading with poems like this, a poem that will build up your confidence because you enjoy reading it, that will get you in the mood to read.

There are certain poems I have never read because I think of them as poems that will only work on the page, or because I worry they are too long for an audience to listen to. Sometimes I shy away from reading personal poems, maybe because they feel too intimate and I am reluctant to reveal things about myself to an audience of strangers (although I am happy for people to read them at home, which seems strange.) Audiences are odd, you can never predict their reaction, and sometimes people will laugh at bits you don’t think are funny, and stay silent at bits you think are, but with practise it is possible to find poems that work well with an audience (and these can be included in sets of poems you like to make your job easier.)

Any advice people can give me on how they have managed to read their work well is greatly appreciated, and will be shared here.

Listen to poems from Sex with Elvis, with musical accompaniment and arrangement by Shaun Lennox.

SOUND FILES OF ANGELA READING ARE AVAILABLE ON MYSPACE HERE

Angel Vs Angela

Sometimes people ask me about this, why Unholy Trinity is published as Angel Readman instead of Angela. I was at a gig once and was introduced incorrectly before going on stage as Angel Readman, when I thought about it I rather liked it. Around the same time Peter Mortimer was working on the poems with me for Unholy Trinity and although we had met several times, he could never remember my name and kept calling me Andrea. He was there when I was accidentally called Angel, and really liked it. After that he always called me Angel, and had no trouble remembering my name. Since I had never been published before I decided to use Angel as my writing name, as it sounded a lot more confident than plain old Angela, and used it at readings. Unfortunately people on the writing scene already knew me as Angela, and I just couldn’t get everyone to call me Angel whatsover, so after Unholy Trinity I gave up on the notion of ever being allowed to be Angel. Hence there is one publication only under the name of Angel. I still prefer Angel though, and am waiting for an opportunity to be Angel again (if I ever leave Newcastle and move somewhere people don’t know me I will jump at the chance to be Angel again.)

When I am preparing to do a reading I think of the idea of having to stand up in front of people, and sort of make an adjustment to being Angel while I am on stage (since the Angela everyone knows would never be able to speak in public in a hundred years.) I have to be Angel now and then to do readings. This involves being more confident for a while, standing up straight and having a lot more guts in terms of what I will say. Angela and Angel share the same voice, the same regional accent, the same flawed physical traits- the only difference is Angel doesn’t care about all that crap whatsoever, and just reads the poems. Angel would definitely kick Angela’s arse in a fight. At readings it should be about the poems, so it useful to leave Angela behind.