I know. It means I've got no excuses!

-----Original Message-----
From: The Pennine Poetry Works [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Sally Evans
Sent: 02 September 2004 21:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: More on poetry readings


For information on how Internet email incoming to the Northcliffe group is
handled, please visit   http://nngi/results.asp?key=it7`1008200413324052300

You are going to be the best prepared first time reader ever! Tell us how it
goes all best SallyE on 2/9/04 9:09 am, Merritt, Matt - Leic. Mercury at
[log in to unmask] wrote:

> Hi Sarah,
> That all sounds like really good advice, especially the making eye
> contact, speaking slower than you think, and looking confident. I'll
> try to remember it. Best wishes,
> Matt
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The Pennine Poetry Works [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Sarah Willans
> Sent: 01 September 2004 09:35
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: More on poetry readings
>
>
> For information on how Internet email incoming to the Northcliffe group is
> handled, please visit
http://nngi/results.asp?key=it7`1008200413324052300
>
> We recently had a poetry reading workshop at the Plough led by
> Sara-Jane Arbury, a performance poet and actress who toured recently
> in 'Staying Alive' (a performance based on the excellent Bloodaxe
> anthology of the same name). It was aimed at building confidence, and
> what she did worked very well. Anyone who runs, or is part of, a
> writers' group might like to try the same thing.
>
> After the usual preliminaries, she split us up into pairs and gave
> each pair a couple of stanzas of Auden's 'Miss Gee' to work on, coming
> round to help each pair individually. We then read the whole poem
> through as though to an audience, each pair presenting their stanzas
> in their own way, and afterwards discussed our individual approaches
> and how well they'd worked. A lot of practical points were made about
> standing square to the audience and not fidgeting, looking up and
> making eye contact, printing your poems out on separate sheets so that
> it's easy to shuffle the correct one to the front, speaking slower
> than you think - and never, never apologising for your work! She told
> us that we should go out there, look the audience in the eye and say
> (inwardly, of course), 'This is my poem, I'm proud of it, and you're
> going to listen to it!'
>
> We had all brought along a poem of our own to work on, and next she
> got us to read these to her - all at the same time. It sounds odd, but
> if you've ever read one of your own poems in public you will know how
> extraordinarily hard it can be just to get started, and doing it like
> this 'broke the ice' without any one of us being the center of
> attention (except for the chap who'd brought along a four-page epic,
> and was still reading long after the rest of us had finished). After
> this, we took it in turns to read our poem to the group, and then we
> read it again into a microphone. We all got a CD of the day's poems
> too keep.
>
> It was a basic course - we didn't talk much about the content of the
> poems, though we did talk a bit about introductions. Afterwards,
> everyone agreed that it had really helped to boost their confidence,
> and we'd picked up some very useful, practical tips, too. It was very
> obvious that if you can at least look confident, however you feel,
> you're half way to convincing the audience of the merit of your poem.
> That's mainly a question of getting your body language right.
>
> Good luck Matt!
>
> Sarah
> DISCLAIMER
> Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and
> not necessarily those of Northcliffe Newspapers, Leicester Mercury
> Group, Northcliffe Retail or Northcliffe Accounting Center. This
> e-mail and any other files transmitted with it are confidential and
> solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you are not the
> intended recipient or the person responsible for delivering to the
> intended recipient, be advised that you have received this e-mail in
> error and any use is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
> e-mail in error, advise the sender immediately by using the reply
> facility in your e-mail software. This message should not be seen as
> forming a legally binding contract unless otherwise stated.
DISCLAIMER
Any opinions expressed in this email are those of the individual and not
necessarily those of Northcliffe Newspapers, Leicester Mercury Group,
Northcliffe Retail or Northcliffe Accounting Center. This e-mail and any
other files transmitted with it are confidential and solely for the use of
the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient or the person
responsible for delivering to the intended recipient, be advised that you
have received this e-mail in error and any use is strictly prohibited. If
you have received this e-mail in error, advise the sender immediately by
using the reply facility in your e-mail software. This message should not be
seen as forming a legally binding contract unless otherwise stated.