I am happy to report I successfully completed my first public poetry reading! 🙂

poetrySPARK made for a fun evening. The Featured Reader event was held in a cool venue–hair salon by day, bar by night. We read from the DJ booth! With 6 featured readers, a youth contest winner, and three invited poets, the two hours were jam-packed.

Apparently a jury selected the 6 featured poets from a couple dozen entries (in a blind process), so I felt good to be in the top quartile based on the poems alone. And I performed my poems the way I wanted to–no stumbling or mumbling–and got good feedback from the group. I was glad I had practiced! Thanks to my Toastmasters club for the feedback–I used it.

All in all, I am satisfied with my debut. Now I might have to try an open mic night… (Ooo, I’m giddy with anticipation!)

Reading from the DJ booth

A few weeks ago I saw an announcement in the paper that poetry submissions were being accepted for an upcoming creativity festival. The selected poets would be featured readers at a Saturday night event.  On the very last day possible, I sent in my three poems and paid my five bucks. What could it hurt?

Go figure—I got selected. So tomorrow night I get to use my 6 minutes to read a few poems. My first real public poetry reading! Woo-hoo!

I have dutifully practiced and timed my poems and comments so I stay within the allotted time. I did a run-through at my Toastmasters group on Monday. I need a few more read-throughs to stay fresh, a new folder to put my pages in, and voila! I will be set.

If you’re in the Raleigh, NC, area and need something fun to do on a Saturday night (yes, poetry reading is great fun!), check out poetrySPARK, part of the 4-day SPARKcon festival.

I’ll let you know how it goes. And then I can start planning my remaining 9 minutes…