Poetry readings come in various forms, including literary events, conferences, festivals, open mic events, and poetry slams. Slam poetry competitions are judged by the public, and poets can participate in local, national, and international events. Some poets share their work online through podcasts or video blogs, with some using interactive elements to engage online audiences.
Some poetry readings are literary or scholarly in nature and include poetry performances that famous bards may give in support of published works. Poetry conferences are another environment where poetry reading takes place. These lectures often combine poetry recitation with creative writing lessons and exercises to help cultivate understanding of literature. Poetry readings may also include poetry festivals that draw large crowds and give developing poets a chance to engage with their local communities and gain press attention. Other types of poetry readings include open mic events, poetry slams, and multi-media readings.
One of the more established forms of poetry readings are those provided for entertainment purposes. These events are sometimes called open mic events and are held to help local poets gain more attention and to draw an audience to the institution hosting the poetry event. Local cafes, bookstores, or poetry organizations usually sponsor these events. Rules differ on what is allowed at such events, but many open mic poetry readings allow performers to incorporate costumes, music, or other props while reciting a verse. Typically these events run on a scheduled date or time, such as once a week.
In the mid-1980s, slam poems rose in attention and quickly established themselves as one of the most popular types of poetry reading. Poetry Slams are competitions in which poets recite their original poem in front of a live audience. These slams are held in various venues including college campuses and libraries. Instead of having the poem evaluated by a scholar, professor, or some other type of critic, however, the competition is judged by members of the public. Judges award a numerical score after each performance, and those with the lowest overall scores are eliminated after each round of competition. The contest continues until all competition is removed and a winning slam poet is declared.
Poetry Slam events are held on a local basis in cities and college towns around the world. Poets can also participate in national and international slam events that are held annually. Generally, the slam contest allows poets a wide range of liberties in the type of poetry that can be performed. The writing can be about poems protesting against war, those documenting daily life, or simple love poems.
Poetry readings aren’t limited to just in-person events. Some proactive poets have shared their poems online via podcasts or by hosting poetry readings through their personal video blogs. A number of online poetry readings are simply video recordings of live performances by famous poets from around the world. Other poetry readings, however, use interactive elements to help poetry resonate with diverse online audiences. Text and animated drawings along with comic representations of the poet can be used to make the poem more interactive.
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