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…

                                        —

#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

Poetic devices 14: Personification

Personification is a common device used in poetry and other forms of literature. This is where writers ascribe a human characteristic to non-human objects or animals. Personification also occurs when writers represent an abstract quality in human form. It's the literary version of anthropomorphism.

Personification a great device to add richer description to your writing, and it helps readers to understand the scene a little better. Here's an example from a poem by Emily Dickinson:

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –

In this instance, the poet personifies an abstract concept - Death - and gives it some human characteristics. Personification allows you to ascribe human emotions to things or concepts like this, and this can add great depth to your poetry. You might first instance write:

The rain wept in sorrow

Eh? The rain of course possesses no emotions, so how could it be sorrowful? It has no tear ducts, so how could it weep? You sound a bit crazy writing this Steve! Thanks for your unsolicited opinion. I may be, but personification gives the rain these attributes to add a creative depth. Here's another example:

Tom could hear the last slice of cake calling his name

What? Cake can't speak, so Tom certainly couldn't hear the cake actually calling him! But what the line does, is show, through the personification of the inanimate slice of cake, that Tom had a great desire to grab that last piece of cake before anyone else got there. Greedy Tom. I'll speak to his mother later. 

Have a think and see where you might be able to inject a little personification into your own writing. It can definitely enrich the descriptive power of your poetry and give it a human face. 

Steve Wheeler

Previous posts in this series

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment

10. Allegory

11. Metonymy

12. Cacophony

13. Calligram

Main image source: World Atlas

Poetic devices 13: Calligram

The above image is actually a poem by the French writer Guillaume Apollinaire. Some people would call this concrete poetry. Some might call it visual poetry. It's real name is Calligram - the presentation of a poem in the shape of the theme it is describing. One of the arch proponents of this technique was Scottish poet Edwin Morgan, who created a series of poems that were presented in the shapes of animals, objects and people. 

Calligrams are not for the faint hearted. There are several technical difficulties you would need to overcome to achieve an aesthetic shape for your poem that would echo the topic of theme. 

The image below is a poem by American writer John Hollander. It is description and visualisation, combined. See how he has worked the lines into a superb image of a swan and its reflection in the water. This technique transforms a good poem into a great one. 

Some of our own Invisible Poets group have already started to write poems in calligram format. Matt Elmore's recent offering 'Sexy You' is an example:

My advice would be to write the poem first. Choose a topic to write about that can easily be turned into an image. The poem does not necessarily need to rhyme. What it does need to be is easy to manipulate into shapes. This is where the fun starts. Once you have written the poem, you then need to mould it into the shape of the topic. Good luck - it can be a lot of fun, but also a real challenge!

Steve Wheeler

Previous posts in this series

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment

10. Allegory

11. Metonymy

12. Cacophony

Main image source: Wikimedia Commons

Inspiring the Subconscious

Poetry, with its rhythmic cadence, evocative language, and descriptive imagery possesses a unique ability to touch our hearts and inspire even our subconscious. Reading poetry not only enriches our literary experiences but also influences our own expressions and articulations. In this blog, we will explore the profound impact of poetry on our subconscious and how it shapes our ability to communicate.

1. Awakening the Subconscious Mind

Poetry has a way of at times bypassing our conscious thoughts and reaching deep into our subconscious realms. The vivid imagery, metaphors, and emotions embedded within verses can awaken dormant thoughts and feelings, unlocking hidden aspects of our psyche. As we engage with the words, the subconscious mind absorbs the nuances, allowing us to tap into our own depths of creativity and self-expression. It’s absolutely fascinating. 

2. Inspiring Articulation

Poetry serves as a wellspring of inspiration for our own articulations. By immersing ourselves in the works of skilled poets, we absorb their mastery of language, rhythm, and imagery. This exposure broadens our own linguistic palette and enhances our ability to convey thoughts and emotions with greater depth and beauty.

Example 1: Consider a poem that explores the beauty of nature, describing a serene sunset as "a golden blanket draped over the horizon." Reading such lines can inspire us to articulate our own experiences of nature with vivid metaphors and descriptive language, painting a more vibrant picture for our readers. 

Example 2: A poignant poem about heartbreak may use powerful imagery and emotional language to convey the pain of lost love. Engaging with such poetry can evoke our own emotions and enable us to express our personal heartaches in ways that often resonate deeply with others.

3. Inviting Introspection and Self Discovery

Poetry often delves into the depths of human emotions, relationships, and even existential questions. By reading introspective poems, we embark on a journey of self-discovery. The words act as mirrors, reflecting our own thoughts and experiences. This particular introspection helps us better understand ourselves and our place in the world, ultimately shaping our ability to articulate our innermost thoughts and feelings. The subconscious plays a vital role I know in my own creations.

Example 3: A thought-provoking poem exploring themes of identity and belonging can prompt us to reflect on our own sense of self and our connections to the world. This introspection enables us to articulate our individuality and the complexities of our own existence and have it resonate with others. 

Reading poetry is a transformative experience that goes beyond mere enjoyment of only language and imagery. It awakens our subconscious, inspiring our own articulations and expanding our capacity for self-expression. By immersing ourselves in the profound beauty of poetry, we tap into the depths of our creative potential and discover new ways to communicate our thoughts, emotions, and experiences to the world.

Brandon Adam Haven 

Picture free for fair use from Freepix 

Poetic devices 12: Cacophony

Cacophony, which means 'bad sound', is the opposite of euphony (good sound) and occurs in speech where there is a mix of harsh and/or inharmonious sounds. 

In poetry, cacophony refers to the use of words with sharp, harsh, sibilant (hissing) and especially unharmonious sounds – usually in the consonants of words – the poet uses to create an effect, emotion or atmosphere. Cacophony should not be confused with onomatopoeia which Matt Elmore has already elaborated upon.  A classic example of cacophony in poetry is Jabberwocky by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, even the title sounds discordant. 

Read the words out loud:

‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; 

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe. 

Beware the Jabberwock, my son! 

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! 

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun 

The frumious Bandersnatch!

Yes, they are largely nonsense words, but the brilliance lies in the mix of the sounds and the way they discordantly flow to create the narrative. The use of the coined or made-up words creates sounds (or phonics) that imbue meaning into the elements Carroll is describing. Slithy toves are not ordinary toves - they are very slithy, and that sounds unpleasant. The jubjub bird sounds like a very irritating bird, because its name denotes the repetitive noise it makes... and so on. 

The tragedy Macbeth, written by Stratford-on-Avon bard William Shakespeare, is full of cacophonous passages of dialogue to depict descent into madness, and of course, this famous soliloquy, spoken immediately after a brutal and bloody murder:

Out! Damn spot! Out I say! One, Two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.

The last line in particular is quite chilling not least because of the cacophonous nature of the preceding texts. But it is the explosive and discordant nature of the first sentence that truly sets up and darkens the entire speech. The Bells by dark romantic poet Edgar Allen Poe is another example of how words can be used explosively to create not only terrific alliteration, but a full cacophony effect:

Hear the loud alarum bells– 

Brazen bells! 

What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells! 

In the startled ear of night 

How they scream out their affright! 

Too much horrified to speak, 

They can only shriek, shriek, 

Out of tune

Note the use of words such as scream and shriek - sibilant words that might put you on edge when you hear them! Poe depicts turbulence in so many ways in this one short passage of text. There are numerous other examples of cacophony in poetry, which I'm sure you will be on the look out for! 

Steve Wheeler

Previous posts in this series

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment

10. Allegory

11. Metonymy

Image from Pixabay 

Poetry and Social Media

Oh how the times have changed! Books seem to have lost the overwhelming popularity they once had…. not to mention magazines and newspapers. The library was once a magical place! Yet many of the younger generation asks… who needs a library when you have social media?! 

Social media is not as much of a literary enemy as old school writers may think… especially in the world of poetry. It seems poetry is on a bit of an upswing lately on platforms familiar to many as Tic Toc, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook to name a few of the biggies.

According to a recent article in Forbes, the #poetry hashtag has more than 48 billion views on Tic Toc. This sensitive app has managed to bring a lot of attention to a number of authors through spoken word poetry. The possibilities of creating videos with a large variety of editing tools makes it a fun place to share work and possibly gain noteritey. 

However, notoriety and fame do not necessarily equate to selling poetry books. Tic Toc is good for writing communities though, especially “BookToc”, a growing crowd of book lovers that talk about nothing but books, primarily fiction related works.

Instagram has been a marvel for poets like Rupi Kaur and Morgan Harper Nichols. Their short form poetry, known for its confessional clean stylings, has brought them millions of followers. This form of poetry has been termed “Instapoetry”, and has garnered a controversial reputation of not being poetry due to its succinct structuring and fast pace. Yet, it seems social media is changing those rules. Kaur has more than 4 million Instagram followers, and has sold over 11 million copies of her books, which have been translated into 43 languages.

Jen Benka, the President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets, has stated “So many of the critiques of poetry on social media are about how poetry shouldn’t be performative, or how social media has made poetry too simple”. Is it poetry? Like all art, it’s in the eye of the beholder.

A downturn writers experience on these apps  continues to be simple plagiarism. Poems taken from some authors, then posted to names with a broader appeal and following base, leave the original poets out in the cold. Social media can indeed be what a close colleague once cleverly referred to as “a dark art”. 

Facebook has a blanket presence with a plethora of groups to choose from that all have their own personalities and purposes. I am of course, smitten with Invisible Poets and Wheelsong Poetry. This is not only because of the Wheelsong mission statement of promoting unknown talent. It is really about it’s first priority of giving back with charitable donations, such as the ongoing Wheelsong Anthology series. That incredible direction matches my personal writing motivations and then some!

As a rule of thumb. being active in social media requires a lot of posting, commenting, and interaction. I’ve also noticed that a touch of personal charisma becomes one’s individual brand. It also helps to promote attention by always maintaining a professional posture and positive attitude.

Social media is here to stay, and poets of every age and variety have to accept it. Learning which platforms are best for you for what you are trying to achieve is only possible by engaging in the activity and determining if a group or particular app is right for you.

Matt Elmore

Resources:

https://www.insidehook.com/article/internet/social-media-poetry

https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/03/01/bite-sized-tiktok-poetry-blows-up-along-with-growing-claims-of-plagiarism/?sh=5df4cb7c6873

https://gooduniversenextdoor.com/2023/01/19/poetry-on-tiktok/

https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/should-writers-use-social-media

Image from: Unsplash

Poetic Devices 11: Metonymy

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! 

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. 

The evil that men do lives after them. 

The good is oft interred with their bones.

So goes the famous soliloquy speech of Marc Anthony in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Notice that Shakespeare uses the phrase 'lend me your ears' to indicate demanding attention. The word 'ears' is used as a substitute for the act of listening. In poetic and literature terms, this is known as metonymy - using a single word to indicate a larger idea or context. Metonymy is quite simply a concept or idea that is referred to by a word that is closely related to it. It's a stand-in or substitute word for a much larger idea. 

Metonyms occur more frequently in every day speech and conversation than we realise. And thus, they also appear in poetry and literature a lot. The actor Marlon Brando once said 'Most of the successful people in Hollywood are failures as human beings.' He was of course using Hollywood to refer to the entire movie making industry, including actors, directors, writers and so on. 

Musicians Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney once sang a wonderful refrain in a song they performed:

Ebony and ivory 

Live together in perfect harmony 

Side by side on my piano keyboard 

Oh lord, why don’t we?

Ebony is a metonym that refers to black culture and people from Afro-Carribbean origin, while ivory refers to white culture and Caucasian heritage people. The piano-keyboard is a metaphor that reflects life in general and in this case is a political statement. What they are really asking is why can't black and white people live peacefully and respectfully together? Why does there have to be such hatred? It's a colourful, poetic way of referring to racial tension in a community without overtly stating the problem. The fact that the two musicians were from two different ethic cultures spoke volumes, but the lyrics were even more powerful. 

Examples in poetry are many. Just remember that a single word can have as much power as an entire phrase in poetry. You might for example describe someone who is bleeding to death, as 'the life slowly drained out of him. The metonym used is 'life.' You might refer to the entire presidential administration of the United States of America as the 'White House' or 'Washington', or the Royal Family and household of the United Kingdom as the 'Crown'. Using a change of word to denote something larger, can change the perception of the reader or the tone of the poem, and make it even more memorable. 

Steve Wheeler

Previous posts in this series

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment

10. Allegory

Image from Blue Diamond Gallery used via Creative Commons Licensing

Making Sense Of Sounds: Onomatopoeia

 

Tweet tweet tweet!!!

Whoosh… Whoosh…

Ka-boom!!!! Ka-boom!!!

There is a whimsicality about certain sounds in the natural world… the songs of birds or even monkeys playing. Some sounds possess a calm feeling, such as the booshy whoosh of a restless sea against the cliffs. Some are not so peaceful… such as a volcano erupting, fireworks, or animals fighting.They all invoke emotions…. playful, serene, fearful…

These sounds may be incorporated into poetry through onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia  is simply an obnoxiously long (and weird to spell term!) referring to using action words in a sentence that sound exactly like what they say… essentially “word sounds”… words like POW, BANG, and CRASH!!!  

Onomatopoeia is a favorite device used in children’s poetry since it engages a child’s imagination. It works for adults as well!! Take this fun poem by Jaymie Gerard called Piddle-Paddle for example… it is most effective in its simplicity… the suggestions of the sounds facilitating particular actions:

“Piddle paddle, piddle paddle,

splash, splash, splash,

into the pool with a great big dash!

“Piddle paddle…” implies friends playing about, “splash splash….” making a commotion in the water… and finally “Into the pool with a great big dash”… suggesting a running cannonball!

Another example could include “The Fourth” by Shel Silverstein. Although Silverstein also wrote children’s poems, his work always had depth and used many poetic tools. Here, explosions of fireworks accentuate the action between the lines of this poem… as if a conversation were being interrupted during each cannonade…

“Oh

CRASH!

my

BASH!

it’s

BANG!

the

ZANG!

Fourth

 WHOOSH!

of 

BAROOM!

July

WHEW!”

Another form of onomatopoeia is known as phanopoeia, which is a sort of blanket perception based on sounds within the words themselves. D.H. Lawrence does this in a poem entitled “Snake”, where he used constant alliterations with the s consonant to simulate a hiss… suggesting a snake.

Onomatopoeia is such an engaging device! It really can incorporate different dimensions within poetry due to its sensory invocations, prompting readers’ imaginations based on sounds rather than imagery or cognitive suggestion alone! 

The very idea of a noise near you should instantly make your mind say, “What was that?!” Poof!!

Matt Elmore

Poetry against Poverty

Just over a year ago, in August 2022, Wheelsong Books was planning the launch of a new initiative in partnership with the global charity Save the Children. A collaboration between the publishing company and 90 poets from around the world would yield Wheelsong Poetry Anthology - a collection of 183 original, unpublished poems. The book is still selling steadily, one year on from its September 2022 release. A second collection - Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 2 - followed in April 2023, with a larger contingent of 105 poets contributing 214 poems. Again, this book has been steadily selling copies to raise much needed funds for life-saving intervention in crisis zones across the globe. 

It's not an easy feat to conduct such a large contingent of diverse individuals, but the editorial teams have played their parts in mustering these books together. Wheelsong's third anthology is published this week. It is larger than its older siblings, with more than 220 poems from 120 poets. Again, our fervent wish is that the poetry community will get behind this initiative and purchase this book in very large numbers. At the time of writing, Wheelsong has already sent £1500.00 (approximately $1870.00) to Save the Children from book sales.

Every book sold (whether in Kindle, softcover or hardcover) will raise about £3.00 (almost $4.00) for Save the Children. According to the charity's website, one book sale can purchase 25 water purification tablets, 18 food paste sachets, 2 sterile midwife birthing kits, or 1 child hygiene kit. All of these are vital to maintain health security in areas where there is conflict or natural disaster. By buying a Wheelsong Poetry anthology, you are literally helping to save a small life somewhere in the world. 

You can read in Matt Elmore's recent post exactly what Save the Children does across the world, but here's a link that demonstrates their financial commitment to providing nutrition, healthcare, safety, shelter and education to needy children everywhere. Finally, here is a link providing you with numerous stories of how children have been helped from the funds Wheelsong and other organisations have raised throughout the last few years. 

We really hope you will get behind this initiative and purchase copies of one, two or all three anthologies, to keep and cherish, give away as gifts, donate to libraries or generally circulate across your community. We can use poetry against poverty! Thank you.

Steve Wheeler

Image © Wheelsong Books 2023