Tips on Reading Out Loud

I received these great tips from Eric Dutton and

Congratulations on the reading!

It isn't that hard to fill up your time. In my case I had a friend performing between my readings so I only did about twenty-five of that fourty-five minutes. If you don't mind a little advice about reading your poems aloud, I've gathered a few things from my experiences at open-mics and other venues. These are all things that I've failed to do before and had some bad experiences for it:

1: Read slowly and ennunciate. Your job is not to PERFORM your poem so much as it is to make the words and lines understandable to people who don't have the words in front of them. I was once told that if you read slowly enough that it sounds ridiculous to you, then it will sound just right to your audience.

2: Talk about the poem. Often you have to read a poem a few times to undestand it or to appreciate it fully. At a reading you get one shot. If there's anything that you can explain about the poem, you might as well. Tell a story about the poem if you like, or even just a brief introduction. It gets the listeners in the mood for the poem and gives them something to look for and pay attention to. If you talk to them just a little before a poem, it also helps them like you personaly; that never hurts!

3: Look at them as much as you can. I'm still not very good at this, but I've noticed that the more I do it the more I enjoy reading and the more they enjoy listening. It also gives you something to respond to.