You know the drill - Rachel & I started this collaboration in order to challenge ourselves to do something in real life inspired by a novel we've loved! All the credit for this particular edition of Books in Real Life goes to Rachel! Both of us had read and loved Every Last Word earlier this year (here's my review!), completely invested in Sam's story and its outcome. I had loved the poetry and Poet's Corner aspect of the story, but it never once occurred to me to actually attend a poetry reading. Thank goodness for Rachel, who came up with this brilliant plot and did all the necessary research so we could make it happen!
We headed on over to Bowery Poetry on a Monday night, eager to experience poetry performances for ourselves. The space itself is quite impressive, with an intimate atmosphere in spite of its rather large seating area and a charm to its decor that quite lent itself to the artistic, creative feel.
The actual reading was very casual, with two hosts introducing various poets and each poet given a maximum of three minutes to share their words. But these poets, at least the four we saw, were fantastic. Their recitation of their poetry was so raw, with real emotion drumming through every last word and I was both amazed and inspired by the way they let it all loose with their words. It was definitely a worthwhile experience, and one I would happily repeat if given the chance!
1. Would I do this again? I actually probably would! Rachel and I were talking about it when we left, how we wished it hadn't been a Monday and that we didn't have work the next day so that we could have lingered longer and listened to more poetry.
2. What was your favorite part or a memorable moment? I think, for me, the first performer left the strongest impression. I didn't quite know what to expect before she started speaking, but the way she allowed her emotions to shine through and the cadence of her words was so powerful.
3. Anything you wish you'd known beforehand? There's nothing that really comes to mind, though I would have liked to have predicted how much I'd enjoy myself and prepared to stay out later.
What a great idea, guys! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed yourselves - it's really great to see the performance part of words being appreciated - it's something that we don't think about that often when reading, but definitely, poetry is meant to be read aloud.
ReplyDeleteIt's been such a long time since I've attended a poetry reading, but you're right, it's the perfect compliment to Every Last Word. I might go check one out now.Thanks for the inspiration!
I used to write poetry as well, though it mostly revolved around crushes and friendships. But this was my first time at a poetry reading! It was really quite fun, and I hope I get to do it again. Hope you get to read Every Last Word soon - it's awesome!
ReplyDeleteYes! I definitely agree about poetry needing to be read aloud. There's something about the delivery - the cadence, the emphasis, the way the words roll of the tongue - that makes it special. Hope you get to go to a poetry reading soon!
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