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sunnycat
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30 Mar 2007, 4:36 pm

I find this the most difficult thing in speaking any kind of language...
Sometimes I would make a mistake and people would misunderstand me...Or I wouldn't be able to express myself the way I would like to...
For example I can write poems but I can't recite them....Everytime I try reading my poems out loud I feel so lousy and stupid...I would like to learn the art of poetry recital!!
It's very frustrating....



martin_nyc
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30 Mar 2007, 4:43 pm

Public speaking is hard for lots of people. Reading your own work is hard for all but the most brash among us -- you're exposing a lot of yourself. It gets easier as you do it more. You can try reciting other people's poetry if reading your own makes you nervous.

Don't think too much about intonation. That stuff's for actors, not poets. I heard some old recording of T.S. Eliot reading The Hollow Men and it was terrible. The whole "Not with a bang but a whimper" was PAINFULLY bad.



Ragtime
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30 Mar 2007, 4:56 pm

sunnycat wrote:
I find this the most difficult thing in speaking any kind of language...
Sometimes I would make a mistake and people would misunderstand me...Or I wouldn't be able to express myself the way I would like to...
For example I can write poems but I can't recite them....Everytime I try reading my poems out loud I feel so lousy and stupid...I would like to learn the art of poetry recital!!
It's very frustrating....


Reciting a poem is something that requires a huge amount of brain power for me. It's not natural to me at all.


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sunnycat
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30 Mar 2007, 6:10 pm

martin_nyc wrote:
Public speaking is hard for lots of people. Reading your own work is hard for all but the most brash among us -- you're exposing a lot of yourself. It gets easier as you do it more. You can try reciting other people's poetry if reading your own makes you nervous.

Don't think too much about intonation. That stuff's for actors, not poets. I heard some old recording of T.S. Eliot reading The Hollow Men and it was terrible. The whole "Not with a bang but a whimper" was PAINFULLY bad.



good point...
Actually, I would never read my poems in the presence of someone else...I would read my poems to them only if I felt really really comfortable with them...I have tried reciting my poems when I was by myself, and I sounded awkward and clumsy...
I like to read poems out loud, whether it was written by me or by others, however when I read them out loud I realize that they sounded so much better in my head...in my head I can hear the rhythm and the rhymes...In my head I can capture the intonation and the flow...however the moment the sounds leave my lips the spirit is gone...



GoatOnFire
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30 Mar 2007, 6:52 pm

sunnycat wrote:
I find this the most difficult thing in speaking any kind of language...
Sometimes I would make a mistake and people would misunderstand me...Or I wouldn't be able to express myself the way I would like to...
For example I can write poems but I can't recite them....Everytime I try reading my poems out loud I feel so lousy and stupid...I would like to learn the art of poetry recital!!
It's very frustrating....


I'm the exact opposite. I can't write poetry. I just can't, it never comes out as poetry. I can read it easily though. If I could give you my abilities I would, I have little use for it. I think it is mostly a state of mind which makes it very hard to learn. If it sounds right in your mind my guess is that you do have the ability to do it properly. Although part of the state of mind needed to read it in front of other people is a sense of arrogance. You seem so kind I imagine that you would have a hard time trying to force yourself in to an arrogant state of mind. If you really want it try practicing alone then if you want to try with an audience practice with your cat(s).


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martin_nyc
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30 Mar 2007, 7:26 pm

sunnycat wrote:
In my head I can capture the intonation and the flow...however the moment the sounds leave my lips the spirit is gone...


There's definitely a change that happens, but I wouldn't say the spirit is gone. Reading a play and seeing it performed are completely different. Composition vs. performance.

I hear what you're saying on flow and meter. That has been big trouble for me...I'm big into counting and measured time. Extra syllables make my heart skip beats. But screw it...it's your poem and you're gonna read it. =)