Open Mic Poetry Top 10 List

Many working poets take it upon themselves to make a grass roots effort to get out there and work those poems… make them sing. Sell some books. Yet it’s not always easy to translate from the desk to the stage. I’d like to write a bit about this…

The other night I read at a house party. As a published poet…. I am selling my book Constellation Road, as well as the newest Wheelsong Poetry Anthology Three. I thought this was the best way to get some practice in before some coffee houses and library gigs, as well as full fledge street poet style, which is not out of the question. I’d leave that blog to Steve Wheeler for street poets!

The poetry reading was a great success, and I learned some valuable lessons other than lightening the load of my book box.

Stepping out in front of people takes guts. It’s not easy to avoid tripping over your own tongue. Here’s a top ten list to consider before hitting the open mic poetry stage…

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#1 Be Prepared. 

Know which poems you are going to read and be able to get to them instantly.

#2 Know Where To Place Inflections. 

Performance poetry has its ups and downs in volume, has succinct pronunciations, and intentional breaks…. Know where these are when you read for maximum effect.

#3 Make Eye Contact.

Keeping engaged with your audience keeps them engaged with you.

#4 Be Passionate

Just as you can tell musicians are really into the song and their joy is infectious, tap into this as well. Use your hands! Use your body! Move! Have facial expressions! Express!

#5 Get To The Skinny

Remember you are there to read poems not talk. Maybe a little something something to mention… but stick to the poetry, thank you, and outta there.

#6 No Distractions

Stay focused. Anybody on stage has to react to audience… or not. If you do… keep it short and polite.

#7 Stay Professional

Off color comments can lead you down wrong turn roads real fast…. Stay professional always and you can’t go wrong.

#8 Put Your Books Right In Front Of You

I am very shy about selling things. This was my BIGGEST TAKEAWAY. I didn’t mention I had books for sale. I sold a number of them… near the end of the night! Oops! So… set them out and mention them! 

#9 Pick Your Best

Some poems don’t translate so well as performance pieces while others are fantastic! Choose which ones work for you best.

#10 Have Fun!

Most important… people can tell if you are nervous, yet folks are also moved by confidence. Be proud of yourself, step up there, and have fun with it!

                                       —

Reading your own work can be incredible! I love what I do, and I think it shows best when I am up there in front of folks reading my poetry! It makes all the hard work worth it.

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve done this before and may have something to add , or even just share. Thank you for reading!

Matt Elmore

Poetry From Adversity

When I was published recently by Wheelsong Books, many of my family and friends tended to mock my work without even reading it. I was stereotyped as a soft tulip tiptoer that whimsically wrote words at the sight of the first butterfly.

This IS somewhat true! Not the first butterfly though.… I live in the country, so I see them every day…

They didn’t know this about me. I’ve always been a bit of a tough guy… built sheds and furniture and picnic tables. Hung out with rowdies and sang in a metal band. Hiked half the Appalachian trail in a shot. Drank beers in honky tonks and flirted with pretty women. A biker gang even named me “Chains”… long story, trust me!

A poet?! Really?

Yeah… really. 

However, when they read a few of my poems, I believe they began to understand what I was doing. Poets wear many hats… Some even congratulated me, which was another milestone for me. They accepted that I represent more than an average everyday person. A balance of the light and heavy…

                                          —

I’m just an average everyday person that is able to articulate what most average everyday people are feeling and want to say. I think this defines many modern poets.

                                           —

Poetry is about more than rainbows and butterflies. It’s not all the Robert Frost kind of nature trip… or even the Robert Browning sort of introspections. It’s not all John Milton inspired perfectly metered verse, or the angular intricate constructions  of E.E. Cummings. It’s not even even all the dark art poetry that permeates today’s social media, accentuating carnal sides of our natures… the flip side to NICE poetry.

Many poets have a default muse they draw upon. They may try different styles, but there is something at the marrow that fuels their art. For me, that is adversity. This adverse misunderstanding bothered me… but only motivated me to write even more.

                                          —

Troubles tend to drive me into my best works, often obfuscated in various concluding themes of redemption, despair, or despondency. This tension rocked me a number of times… and perhaps even guided the pen to what some consider my best work “The Colored Number Of My Counted Days”, published in my book Constellation Road.

I recently moved my 83 year old mother in with me to watch after her. She suffered what appears to be a minor stroke a couple of days ago and hasn’t been the same since. I’m sick with worry right now., worried about her at my house when I’m at work. Something in her eyes has dulled. Yet I meet the adversity with courage and keep on… Strangely, I haven’t really written a poem about this. Afraid to I guess. Don’t know why…

I do know that when harnessed properly, this tension that is created through adversity can be refined in passion to create something special. My best work is ahead of me I know. It doesn’t make it any easier knowing hard times are coming…

                                          —

Does adversity move you as a poet? Or do you compartmentalize your problems… and focus on other aspects of life? If you are moved by the troubles, is it therapeutic? Or is it just another theme to go off of?

Please feel free to comment on this article. I know it is a bit more personal than the usual poetry blog, but writing is what we do, and this topic is becoming nearer to my heart than I ever thought it could before.

Thanks for reading!

Matt Elmore

The Line By Line Song Game

 The Line By Line Song Game

It was my brother David’s birthday this past weekend, and us three brothers got together to camp out and spend some quality guy time together hanging out and doing guy stuff.

My oldest brother Doug is a real nut. After a few drinks we got to singing songs referring to anything and everything we were talking about… from fishing to stars to getting older… we sang about it.. satirically of course!

Seems Doug loves poking fun at me being a poet (of course)! My new book is called “Constellation Road”…. so in true big brother fashion he had to tease me… I’m the baby of the three brothers… each five years apart. 

So he hit me up with something like “I felt the pressure grow on constipation road” and I answered his challenge with something like “it jumped on me like an unwanted toad”… and so on… My middle brother David laughed and added his line… we carried an like this, playing cards and joking under the stars.

I thought a little about this… about how our words affect others… how the interaction brings on new meaning. Like poetry collaborations… or songwriters working together. There was a magic in the lyrical combinations of writers like Lennon/McCartney. They bounced ideas off of each other and came up with songs that were no doubt stronger than they would ever have been with only an individual effort.

In my last blog, I referred to reconciling differences. I used an analogy of teaching different aged children with various circumstances and the effect that had on my perspective. Perspective is everything in writing. This variation in culture, class, ability, and gender really brought about a serious change about how I looked at things.

I noticed differences in the way that my brother and I thought of a topic, and exchanged ideas in the line by line song game. We were making each other laugh. It was just extemporaneous fun. An old poet musician friend of mine from college, Bill Harroun, used to play that game together years ago staggering arm in arm in between pubs. It got out of hand at times, but was always fun for us and anyone around us that may have joined in!

“Extemporaneous Prose” I’ve heard it referred to in the classroom… stream of consciousness creativity. Straight from the heart. Or wherever! It comes from these experiences we have with others, from reconciling differences in others for a new world view.

This series is to explore how we as writers come up with our expression and content. The idea of communicating with others is an essential component to growing… or else our work becomes stagnant. I couldn’t imagine a sequel to Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden”, or “Animal Farm” by George Orwell. The story itself says it all so well… why bother going on? The author moves on to the next experience, the next topic, the next hurdle to be jumped.

I ask you to consider where your view comes from reader… do you believe you interpret the world around you from others? Or is it an insular experience, drawn from your own observations? Would you be willing to bounce ideas off of others and collaborate? Do you do so without even knowing… reflected in your solo work subconsciously? 

As writers, when we sit down,… where do the ideas come from? Experience? Imagination? Reflecting lessons from what has happened to those around us? Maybe all three? Possibly more?

I want to thank you for joining me! PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT on this blog! Answer some of the above questions and let’s create a most welcome dialogue!  Also… join me later this week for the conclusion to this series on “Reconciling Differences”

Until then dear poet… stretch your perspective. Sharen your expression… and always write on! 🚀

Matt Elmore

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