Trippin' is a regular column with guest writers telling us about the poetry scene where they are or, as in this case, about the experiences of a travelling poet. Send your articles for consideration in this section to paul@writeoutloud.net.

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Knit Your Own World Tour

Are you keen add an international flavour to your poetry CV and meet poets in other countries?  It might be easier than you think to get overseas gigs. 

 

True story:  My first poetry gig was in Las Vegas!  No, I’m not living my life backwards.  After learning the ropes at open floors in Merseyside, I was interested in finding similar nights in the US when holidaying there.  I checked the web, contacted Dana who ran an open floor night in Las Vegas, and sent her some poems.  She offered me a 'guest' slot because I was  coming all the way from the UK! 

 

It works both ways.  Here in the UK we get poets from New Zealand, Canada and USA performing - poetry groups everywhere are eager to hear voices from outside their usual circles, especially overseas.  You might not get paid much, but you do meet interesting people and add to your credibility when promoting yourself locally.

Earlier this year I did a ‘World Tour’ (ok, Australia and New Zealand) as part of a trip I was doing anyway, and it was a fantastic experience.  I was a guest of NZ Poetry Society, got interviewed in a Sydney museum, performed to men in hats in Melbourne, and appeared two minutes after an Irish punk band… in an Irish pub…on St Patricks night in Auckland after organisers double-booked the slam I was guesting at.  OK, some experiences I might not wish to repeat!   But generally I got a warm welcome, made new friends and was exposed to poems on unfamiliar subjects and not just kangaroos, bushmen and the damned!

Ready to go? Here are my 7 top tips for overseas gig-getting:

 

• Start with people you already know - ask fellow poets and friends on social networks - it helps to link through a known contact
• Don’t assume non-English-speaking countries won’t be interested - e.g. WOL regulars often perform in France!
• Search the web - fish around for poetry nights where you’re going, or national arts organizations who could help.  Check the links below.
• Email the organizers - be friendly, brief and clear
• Avoiding unsolicited email attachments, direct them to your website or WOL profile, or paste highlights of your CV and sample poems to your message
• Include reviews from third parties - ask local group organisers or a better known poet who knows your work to make pithy (but positive!) comments about you
• If invited, keep in touch, reconfirm details before the gig and make sure you show up!

This way, I got 7 gig offers from 12 enquiries (there’d have been more, but I happened to be in Australia at Christmas which is, weirdly, the summer break).

Yes, it was scary but also a great experience - now I really should try and get a few gigs in the UK! 

New Zealand: http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/

Melbourne: Poetry@The Dan O’Connell

Events in most countries: http://www.poetrykit.org/events.htm

For more about my tour, check out: http://www.clarekirwan.co.uk