Live Poetry Reading on Deck

I'm excited about an upcoming poetry presentation I'll be giving on November 9th. It's at the Women's Club of Minneapolis, in Minnesota. There will be dance, skits, music, and poetry. Putting a video up here and on YouTube has helped me increase my comfort with an audience.

If you're close by, maybe you'll stop in.

Minneapolis Women's Club

Also, go ahead and suggest a poem you'd like to hear, if you could be there. I haven't decided on my selections.

Comments: 9

Barb (Gather Site Ferret) Carlson Oct 27, 2009, 2:11pm EDT

Interesting :) It's interesting that putting up the video has made you more comfortable with crowds. I guess it depends on how you filmed it ... generally videos are rather solitary projects. Or is the issue with potential feedback about your performance? I can see where the video might help with that. I'd take an audience any day over a camera eye. Hard to get feedback from the camera. When that Australian film crew were filming that documentary in my house, and they interviewed me, it was tough figuring out just where to look. At least with an audience you have people to look at. :)

As for the poem suggestion, I assume you mean one of your poems? I've been told I give a terribly dull poetry reading. Feh. Whattaya supposed to do? Fill in sound effects? LOL!

Susan Budig Oct 27, 2009, 3:26pm EDT

The benefit of the YouTube is that I could watch myself and try not to cringe. It's not like I've never done this. In fact I gave quarterly readings at a nearby coffee house for three years. But the audience was always small. I think this audience will be over a couple hundred?

Barb (Gather Site Ferret) Carlson Oct 27, 2009, 3:34pm EDT

Heh, boy can I relate to the "watch myself and try not to cringe" ... The piece of the video of me singing that PBS put up on YouTube has been seen by a lot of people and not all the comments were complimentary. :)

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JOHN BECK Oct 27, 2009, 3:06pm EDT

I'd love to be there, Susan. I'm glad you've built up your confidence. You'll do great! (Ok, greatly!)

Susan Budig Oct 27, 2009, 3:27pm EDT

Do you really think it's more grammatically correct to say greatly? Maybe, but I've never heard anyone say that. ;-)

Until now.

JOHN BECK Oct 27, 2009, 4:20pm EDT

I know. If I'd said, "You'll be great!", I would have been OK to use the adjective. But "do" begs for the adverb. And you're right: nobody including me talks that way!

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