Poetry from Daily Life: Read your poem aloud, for a crowd. Make them laugh, think, feel

This week’s guest on Poetry from Daily Life is Gemma Campanini, who lives in Springfield, Missouri. Gemma’s writing career began before she could actually write. Her grandparents transcribed her stores for her over the phone. By 14, she loved poetry and short fiction. In her teens she self-published her first book of poems called "Embarrassing My Future Self." More recently she enjoyed researching and writing her graduate seminar paper on how to write and perform poetry as a tool for emotional growth. One unique fact about Gemma is that over the last several years she has been slowly perfecting her vegan pho recipe. ~ David L. Harrison

Let your poem be heard, let yourself be seen

Human speech is rich with rhythm. As a person speaks, certain syllables are naturally emphasized, whereas others blend into the background. In this way, regular conversation becomes poetic. Language is captivating, whether organized as a poem or not.

Is there a particular voice, that with the person’s other mannerisms, you consider simply infectious? I bet you can think of a certain voice, a person, you love to hear speak. An actor, a loved one, a musician. You’d probably call that person charismatic.

Charisma is, by nature, enjoyable to witness. And what if there were a way to take charisma and blend it together with good poetry?

There is.

I first got involved with performance poetry as a teenager, and since then I have continued my commitment to poetry events: poetry open mics, poetry slams (think competitive open mics, involving a cash prize), and writing workshops (where people convene to write poems together).

When poets read their work for a crowd, it’s just about as vulnerable and human as it gets. Poetry becomes communication, a back-and-forth dialogue between poet and audience. This is true of written poetry as well, in that the reader has reactions, but here that conversational aspect happens in privacy, in isolation.

Bring the poem on stage instead, and poetry becomes a catalyst of community-building. Supportive audience reactions serve to empower the poet. There is no greater way for a poet to feel truly heard and seen.

When I perform my own poems, I like to get a friend to record me. Hopefully, I get a “good” response from the crowd (laughter, murmurs, snapping, or my personal favorite: wheezing), and I analyze that recording later for two reasons.

First, hearing my audience helps me improve my performance next time: I consider, for example, where in my poem to pause, where to elevate or dampen enthusiasm.

More: Poetry from Daily Life: Marilyn Singer explains how to read a poem aloud

Secondly, I listen to my crowd react, and I allow myself to feel honored. I did that. I made those people laugh. I am creative enough, intelligent enough, to impact those people. I made them laugh, think, and feel. That’s worth something, isn’t it? I must be worth something.

In sum, humans are reciprocal, conversational creatures. And I see poetry that way, too: truly a tool for building community. If you haven’t gone to a poetry event before, I highly encourage you to do so. Join the conversation. You have something to say, too.

Gemma Campanini has managed multiple poetry projects, such as the “Show Me Poetry” slam on every last Sunday in downtown Springfield. Her work appears in the 2023 Bards of Moon City anthology and in two anthologies in 2024. Books she recommends are: "The Artist's Way," by Julia Cameron; "Freed Verse: A Step by Step Guide to Free Verse Poetry," by Robert Stephens; and "Garden of Thoughts," by Noah Weaver .

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Poetry from Daily Life: Read your poem aloud, for a crowd. Make them laugh, think, feel