I used to be a terrible poetry reader. I was nervous in the extreme, and my
readings detracted from the poems rather than enhancing them. Teaching helped
me because I had to face an audience all the time, but even then I had
moments of fright, especially when I had to face a whole audience of parents who
were paying very high tuition and tell them about my plans for the year, etc.
Soooo. I looked at the audience, and I said to myself, Oh, what the hell. And
it turned a key for me. Anytime I feel stage fright to the point that it is
going to affect my presentation that is the phrase I say to myself. Another
thing that helps is to tell a little joke to begin. Once you have made a fool
of yourself initially, you have nothing much left to worry about.
My favorite is: Your contest chair asked me what my reading fee was, and I
told him I would pay as much as $50 to get to read before some groups.
Thirdly, once I start I totally forget about the audience and keep my mind deep in
the poem. As a result of this, I am told I am an excellent reader. One thing
for sure is that I absolutely enjoy it now. Hope this helps, Sue
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