How to read a poem aloud well

Step by step guidelines, with audio, to take the mystery out of reading a poem aloud

There'll be times when you want to read a piece of poetry aloud. Maybe it's a poem to celebrate a friend's milestone birthday, a poem expressing what you want to say about love at a wedding of someone close to you, or a poem as part of a funeral service.

If you're unsure about how to tackle the task, this week’s highlighted page will guide you step by step through what you need to know, and do, to read a poem well. (Even stunningly, if you put the work in!)

In addition to the guidelines, you’ll find audio examples of vocal variety: 5 different readings of American poet Eve Merriam’s fun poem: ‘How to eat a poem’. I’ve recorded these to show that ‘how’ you say words affects how they are experienced by those listening to them. The meaning can be altered by something as simple as a change of tone or speed.

It’s a page I hope makes reading a poem out loud both less daunting, and more likely.

You can find it here: how to read a poem aloud

Thank you for your time.
Kind regards,
Susan

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PPS. As I said last week, and I’ll say next, if you have ideas for topics you’d like to see covered in this newsletter, or if you’d like to share an article on some aspect of public speaking, or a speech of your own, please get in touch. Either reply to this email or contact me through the form on my about me page on my website. I’d love to hear from you!

PPPS. We’re about to launch a regular poetry sharing night at a cafe in my neighborhood. Right now, it’s planning time. Are any of you involved in one? Do you have any best practice tips? We’d love to hear, if you’d care to share.