Behind The Scenes: Live Poets Society

Steve Wheeler’s Live Poets Society has become quite a hit on Facebook, and continues to draw a bigger audience each week. I have hosted a few shows, my favorites with fellow poet colleague and friend Brandon Adam Haven. Brandon being at the helm has given the show even more of a boost with his fluid talent and extensive, yet humble, expertise.

Together, we currently tackle the duties of putting on a quality video poetry broadcast for Invisible Poets, Steve’s show being the flagship of Live Poets Society. Steve named to title as a tongue in cheek nod to the Dead Poets Society movie with Robin Williams. 

Fellow Wheelsong author and alumni Charlene Phare has also enjoyed quite a following with her “No Holds Barred” program of similar tone and content. We can’t wait to see her at it again soon!

Reading of the poems lies within “performing” them… giving them all breath and life… with inflections on key words. 

Reading poems is only a small part of the effort to make this kind of show possible. It is the selection of poems that makes the job a challenge. It starts with allowing for a negligible size, format, and content as Steve pointed out in his last blog. Should you have an interest in being on the show you MUST  check it out in this link… 

 https://wheelsongbooks.blogspot.com/2024/01/how-to-get-your-poem-read-on-live-poets.html?m=1

Promoting the best poets is what we do… only next level poems make it on the show. With the growing number of Invisible Poets Group memebrs on Facebook, we’ve found that it takes two shows to do all the poets justice. I don’t believe any other group that I know of is doing two shows a week of this magnitude on social media. Invisible Poets is becoming a premiere poetry group!

Incorporating humor is also an essential element of this particular show… as Steve has his occasional “cleaners” dropping in… or poet dog barking up a soliloquy. For Brandon and I, it is our rap names of BDizzle and Big Stack, or aliens behind me, or whatever is happening around us. We love to be silly and serious both. It gives the show wings. 

I personally believe if the show is a joy to host, which it really is, then it will be a joy to watch, which it has been for poets and poetry admirers both. 

Please join Brandon and I live on Tuesdays at 8 PM UK & 3 PM USA Eastern Standard time… and catch the mothership with Steve on Fridays at the same respective times. Join us and hear quality poetry done up right.

Matt Elmore

Be generous

Warning. The following article might be tough reading or controversial and may offend some. If you wish to come back at me on any of what follows, please do so, but please do so in a polite and civil manner. I'm more likely to respond to you if you do. If you fall out with me because of this, that will be unfortunate and it won't be what I intend, but that's life.

Here's my observation: Most poets prefer to read their own poetry to that of others. Many are inward-looking and can be self-centred. I know, because in the past I behaved like this myself. That was ... until I discovered an important truth. But I will elaborate on that a little later.

I have seen plenty of evidence of selfish behaviour on the Facebook groups I have managed in the past two years. Poets are generally very willing to post their own work, but pay scant attention to the work of others. They enjoy gaining feedback, but are less willing to make the effort to read and comment on other poets' work. There are some that never ever comment on the poetry of others. This means that many poets are ignored, failing to attract any comments or likes. They become discouraged and despondent. Because all poets also crave attention. It's a vicious and ironic circle. The very self-centredness of poets ends up isolating them from their own communities. 

Let me tell you how the Facebook group algorithm works: The more active a poet is in reading, reacting and commenting on the work of other poets in a group, the more their posts become visible on the timelines of those others. The obverse is also true. If all you do is post, post, post, and pay no attention to the work of others, then you are likely to become isolated and ignored, because, literally, no-one will be able to see your work. On Facebook poetry groups, it's all about the connection.

Here's the important truth: A great benefit of reading the work of other poets is that you gain better insight into diverse themes, styles, genres, techniques, rhyme schemes, formats and alternative approaches. It's a fact that ever since I began to read the work of other poets avidly, I have learnt an incredible amount about how to improve my own work, and I have discovered a treasure trove of different formats and approaches to writing poetry. 

And I'm still learning! I don't go a day now without reading at least 40-50 poems from other writers. It gives me inspiration too. Sometimes a line or a phrase will set my thoughts running, and before I know it, I have written a poem that I would never have even thought of, it I hadn't read that particular piece by another poet. 

So please... when you next venture into one of your Facebook poetry groups, don't just do so to post your own work. Be generous. Do take some time to read, react and comment on the work of others in your group. Give freely of your time and efforts. Others will appreciate the time and care you take giving your feedback. It is sure to pay off for you in the long term. And it will mean that you truly become an active member of the community.

Steve Wheeler

Image from Pixabay used under a Creative Commons Licence

What is appropriate for poetry groups?

I looked at a poetry group on Facebook this morning and it was someone soliciting an illicit hookup. I was like… “Oh no! Not again…!” 

It was a bit shocking considering the picture, but in today’s world… very little is shocking anymore. 

This could become a problem… but that’s room for an entirely different blog…!!!

Yes, art is subjective! One person’ trash is not necessarily another another one’s treasure, but this seems to be a reoccurring theme on some poetry groups today.

I’ve been modestly helping to moderate Invisible Poets And Wheelsong Poetry on Facebook, and am just now starting to get a taste of how nasty and belligerent some people can really be!

In a faceless forum, once can really attack without any real world retribution. This puts us all under the gun really. I know I have taken a number of unnecessary shots in the past.  It only makes me try all the harder.

However… a poetry group is not the place for hookups. Or relationship crystal ballers… Or selling magic beans… Or any other such scamming rubbish. It is a place for sharing poetry, or simply reading a favorite or a number of favorite poets. 

I must confess I don’t buy as many books anymore when so much poetry is right here at my fingertips! Though books work better for me really… I like to read in the bathtub, and that could get rather ugly with a phone in the bubbles and a klutz like me!

Anyway,…! 

This morning a member of one of my groups commented to me saying she was going to leave. I asked her to message me for privacy. She told me about a group she was in that had told her that her poems weren’t poetry. I reassured her that our group would never do that.

Some groups will pounce if they think the content does not match their idea of what poetry should be, or if others complain too much about something, even if it is not founded in truth.

I, however, do not believe in this at all. EVERYONE should have their shot at writing whatever they like. Writers hands shouldn't be bound to write only what is deemed acceptable. Art is a big wide world and there is enough room for all of us to live comfortably without judgement or abuse.

Nasty content is not allowed on our groups AT ALL. A bully meets the same action as a pervert… they are kicked off to harass someone else. Also, poetry is not to be judged according to any other measuring stick than that which we all can reach. No poem, unless it has inappropriate references in it or excessive expletives, will be turned away. 

In our groups, we prefer poetry that has no expletives, for that is a reflection on the moral standard and mission that we all stand for at Wheelsong. It isn’t right or wrong. It’s just who we are. We are a charitable group formed on the basis of bringing in quality top class poets from around the world, children and teenagers included.

When I taught, I told the kids that people use curse words because they can’t find the appropriate words for the situation.

Dark poetry is a poetry unto itself, and requires its own group. This is the only grey area I see with the whole idea of poetry groups that have to moderate their content in an appropriate way… 

What do you think? Are there better methods out there to gauge what is right and what is wrong? Have you ever experienced this? If so… what happened? Let’s start a friendly dialogue! 

Please leave your comments in the box below… and thanks for reading!!! Have a wonderful day… and write on!! 🚀

Moderatin’ Matt Elmore