6 Things I Learned from Performing in my First Poetry Slam

An empty stage waiting to be slammed

I can cross something off my list of Hard Things.

Last week I performed at a poetry slam competition. It’s the first time I’ve done competitive performance poetry and it was Hard.

When I found out I was going to perform I Googled how to prepare for a slam but all the information was on how to write slam poetry.

So, here are five things I wish I knew before slamming and a sixth thing that needs addressing in performance poetry full stop.

1. Do not be rigid with your poem choices

   Going into the competition I prepared three poems that I knew I was going to do in each round.
   
   On the day, and after hearing some of the other poets perform, I started to doubt my poem choice for the first round.
   
   I had other poems up my sleeve but went with what I had prepared and chosen to perform in round 1 anyway. I’ve performed that poem before and the audience has gone crazy for it but I did not get the same reaction in this room.
   
   My advice would be to have five or so poems prepared and get a sense of the room before deciding which poems to perform.
   
   Probably, always perform your favourite poem first. This will counter any nerves and you can just have fun with it.
   

2. Have someone with you that knows you and your poems

   Unfortunately, circumstances meant I didn’t have anyone with me as support.
   
   As the start of the event drew closer and the nerves were rising, I needed someone to whisper in my ear “you’re amazing.” My ego was hungry and there was no one there to feed it.
   
   I needed someone who knew my humour cracking silly jokes to diffuse the tension that was building in me.
   
   Plus, as I was starting to doubt my poem choice, I needed someone to reflect on that change in decision. It was a decision I couldn’t understand in my own head. Sometimes you need to talk things out loud with someone to really understand what you’re feeling.
   
   Perhaps, the more I slam the more I’ll get to know my intuition, but as I’m learning the ways I need some help and support in the room with me.
   

3. Keep on doing open mics and recycle your poems

   I have a tendency to go to the same open mics and perform new poems. That means I don’t know my poems well enough in front of an audience.
   
   In his essay from “Why I Write Poetry” Keith Jarrett talks about using open mics to play with the delivery of your poems:

   “You will never same the performed poem twice, so why not make some deliberate choices [changes] just once? You can always change it back next time!”
   
   I think it’s important to have played with the poems a lot and gauged the reaction from different audiences.
   
   The winner of the slam, Taking the Vic, took up the whole stage when she performed. She knew when to pause for laughter and how each line was going to land. She was really marvellous and had the audience in the palm of her hand.
   

4. Be vulnerable and authentic

   The poets that performed best at Mind Over Slammer were truly authentic.
   
   They bared all.
   
   The joys of existence.
   
   The scars of living.
   
   I’m going to relook at my poems and consider how I can go deeper? How am I making the audience feel?
   
   You’ve got to make them feel.
   
   This is what the Orange Verse is all about. Practicing in public. Making mistakes and learning from them. We’re experimenting with writing different styles of poems to see what works for us.
   
   But at the end of the day, good poetry is full of heart.
   
   Want to write some hearty poems? Sign up for Season 2: Relationships where we’ll get all mushy and write love poems to our lovers, our friends and ourselves.
   

5. Have a lot of fun!

   Talk to all the other poets. Talk to the audience, Make connections.
   
   Poets are such lovely people and so supportive of each other. It’s a real bake off situation.
   
   I’m thinking an Orange Verse Slam could be something we might do…
   
   Anyway, I’ve now got a network of 250+ Northern poets in my phone because of this event and that feels so luscious. I can’t wait to learn more about these other poets and the scene across the North.
   

6. Poets should get paid more

   It’s so crap how you can have such an awesome line up of poets but the only way to get paid is by winning a competition.
   
   I think about theatre and comedy and how there is an industry for small, local artists to make money. Not a lot, but something’s better than nothing.
   
   Why isn’t there a bill of five awesome poets every Friday night at the Poetry Store? Why are there no poets on TV quiz show lineups?
   
   Poets are rebellious and thoughtful – we have a lot to offer. Where is our big break?
   
   A couple of my friends came down later in the night who’d never seen live poetry before. They were ecstatic to be there and witness the magic. They felt like they’d stumbled on a hidden secret subculture and were hungry for more of it (especially the clicking).
   
   I think there’s something there. I think it can be harnessed.

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Overall, the experience was thrilling. I can’t say enough how much I loved being that room.

Doing Hard Things is so Hard but oh so rewarding.

Even though I didn’t place I’m grateful to have been part of the experience and to meet so many wonderful people that I hope can be part of the Orange Verse one day.

I do really want to create a platform here where we can learn from each other and get paid to share our expertise.

If you want push you poetry practice out of its comfort zone sign up for Season 2: Relationships. It starts February 26th.