Thanks, Roger
I certainly don't always agree with Fenton either, but I found some of his
points of interest too. Mind you, I couldn't help a wry smile at his reading
a poem at a rugby club dinner!
Best
Dave
David Bircumshaw
Leicester, England
Home Page
A Chide's Alphabet
Painting Without Numbers
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger Collett" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2002 11:33 AM
Subject: Re: "This poem"
Dave
Not that I always agree with Fenton, but interesting points made below:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4445689,00.html
Roger
----- Original Message -----
From: "david.bircumshaw" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2002 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: "This poem"
> Interesting, Liz.
>
>
> The 'mumbling down into their books' style is a problem, as also is the
> 'flat monotone' delivery. As if it was somehow a matter of artistic
> street-cred to sound as boring as possible.
>
> I always try out my pieces on myself, as it were, what I meant was public
> readings, I don't do them often but when I do I put my all into them.
Liked
> Mark's point about rediscovering one's older poems, know that feeling
well.
> It's an intriguing sensation to come across something by oneself as if a
> delivery by another writer.
>
> Best
>
> Dave
>
>
> David Bircumshaw
>
> Leicester, England
>
> Home Page
>
> A Chide's Alphabet
>
> Painting Without Numbers
>
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2002 11:56 PM
> Subject: Re: "This poem"
>
>
> I enjoy reading my own work very much - it seems to reveal itself to me in
a
> way that it doesnt on the page. When I feel I am close to finishing a
> piece
> I read it aloud to myself and try to hear it. Esp good with an audience
so
> I can see reactions and sense the effect.......
>
> I'm sorry to say that lots of really very good poets present their own
work
> very badly though. I was at the 'Manchester Festival of Commonwealth
> Literature' yest with a group of students and I was embarrassed for some
of
> the poets - the 'mumbling down into their books' style of reading
> predominated - esp I have to say, amongst the men. Maybe women just have
to
> be lots more confident to get up and read at all? Or have more sense of
how
> to communicate effectively?
>
> My students, most of whom had never been to a reading before, were very
> quick
> to distinguish who read well from who read badly and even to recognise
good
> poetry being read badly! And I was amazed at the level of concentration
the
> so-called 'sound bite generation' have! They kept up their concentration
in
> a reading that included 7 poets, and their main complaint about the day
was
> that I gave them too much free time!
>
> Liz
>
>
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