With over 500 poetry events listed on the Write Out Loud gig guide this month, there's a lot of experience out there, experience we could share and so help each other keep up the good work. You can use this discussion group to discuss or ask questions of each other. For example, what is the best format for you folks? Guest and open-mic? No guest? what draws people in? Does having guests inhibit the nervous open-micers? We'd love to hear your views.

Well what a lacuna of responses, if thats the right way to use that word.
I have been too busy for weeks to even look on the site, but 2011?
We usually have a guest for the first set, 20-30 min, and then a break, when we pass a hat which all goes to the guest poet for their travel costs.
Then after the break we have an open mic session.
If the open mic poets don't run into double figures we have a break and go round again, but actually that rarely happens these days.
We try to have alternate male and female poet guests, but it is harder to find women to come as guests, so please let me know of any women willing to come and read for us. I try to find a variety of styles of writing and both young and old poets.
I would be interested to hear how others organise.
Freda

Performance Policy:
Each contributor is given up to a 10 minute solo slot to perform their work but if they only want to take a minute, they can. They can book beforehand by phone, text or email or they can book in on the night. Performers are advised to refrain from presenting material that is sexist, racist, or homophobic. If in doubt over the actual content please contact us before committing your act live to a public audience.
The night (7:30-9:30) is split into two sections with a half hour interlude in which a cabaret artist performs just to lighten the mood.

Here is a list of suggestions sent to our MC for Spoken Words Night, Eagle, Buxton:

Notes and suggestions for future performance formats:

The night is, as we know, composed of two halves with a short interval of 15 mins between them. Each half currently lasts 45 mins and performers are allowed a slot of a maximum 10 mins duration. In my view the job of the MC is to make judgements or assessments according to the strengths and style of each performer before allocating them to the evening’s format. We provide a platform for aspiring poets, performance artists etc, etc but we also need to sort out the wheat from the chaff. Therefore the MC needs also to read the mood or reaction of the audience to each performer-it’s tricky I know but worth taking note now and again how their act is being recieved rather than being swept away with exuberance and bon viveur. For example sometimes the applause can be empty and hollow as well as simply polite. You need to make your own assessment on how well they're going down?

Of course announcements can be made either between acts, the end of the 1st or 2nd half. Introductions should be handled informally and each poet should be encouraged to express or introduce themselves and the content of their work to a live audience. The MC should ask each newcomer what they are going to perform, take note of the length of their work or how they came to perform on the night. I would be inclined to think that short stories should be as short as possible, they can slow the pace of the night down....leading to nauseating boredom....

Firstly, I think that newcomers can be allocated to the beginning of the 1st half while mature and experienced performers are allocated to slots in the 2nd half. Furthermore, to avoid “stage fright”, newcomers can be allowed to read just one piece and if well recieved or feel confident enough to take another slot at your discretion in the final part of the 1st half. let's say as a general rule that average performers can take slots in the middle of the 1st half and above average performers the last slots of the 1st half.
Then good performers and poets can take the first slots in the 2nd half, Excellent performers the middle of the 2nd half and superlative performers allowed to finish the night off.

Be wary of poets whose work is neurotic, maudling, sentimental or downright depressing and those who write about death and illness all the time-its not the most entertaining of topics for an evening that purports to amuse and entertain. Life I know can be depressing but do I really want to be reminded about it on my night off? Also sometimes what is being performed is just pure drivel! Some is just psycho-babble ranting and just plain awful-get real! We are in the business of encouraging talent and providing positive feedback so need to invisibly, discreetly and seamlessly make critical judgements about a performers style and content on the night. Remember to give good advice on the side to performers who don't reach the mark....


· 1ST HALF:
Newcomers, inexperienced performers. (15 mins)
Average performers (15 mins)
Above average performers (15 mins)

· INTERVAL:

· 2ND HALF:

Good performers (15 mins)
Excellent performers (15 mins)
Superlative performers (15 mins)

· CLOSE

I like Leonidas' approach to this: organisation, weighing material, introduction and a sympathetic eye, all speak of experience... Still, 10 minutes of anyone is usually enough (isn't it?) I suppose I could go with 15 minutes if it's made up of explanations and so forth. And music in there somewhere, yes, cabaret a good idea!

I run the group Poetry Plus, in Manningtree.
When the participants arrive, I note their names on a list and - if they wish to read - ensure that I have a card with their name written on it.
When we start, the last person to arrive will draw the first card from the shuffled pack and the person whose name is drawn will read one poem.
After reading, that reader will then draw a card which picks the next reader and so it continues until everybody who wishes to read has read once.
We then have a convivial break when we chat and take refreshments (we meet in a pub!) before starting the process again with the re-shuffled pack of name cards.
Once everybody who wishes to read has read twice, I seek out anybody who may wish to read again and they do so, before the evening comes to a close.
The advantages of this method, as we see it, are as follows:
- the evening is a true open mic for reading or reciting, with no time within the reading period given over to discussion
- there is an element of surprise because nobody knows when they are going to be reading
- everybody feels fully involved throughout the evening, with nobody "dropping out" because their reading slot has been and gone.
Most people who read are reading their own work and that is often discussed during the break or after the formal end of proceedings. However, having been to some gigs where the ratio of reading to discussion is in favour of discussion, I wanted to tip the balance back towards maximum participation.
Most of our participants are, like me, artisan or hobbyist poets and having composed our work we don't necessarily wish to have it deconstructed in such a public arena.
It seems so work so far!