Dear All,

I need your help and advice again. I have been given two projects to keep me busy (as if I need to be kept busy). Firstly, I have been ordered to set up a Website for the Black Horse Poets and secondly I need (for my own sanity) to start an Open Mic Night.

Any notions about Webhosts?
Any notions about creating an Open Mic Night?
Any notions?
All advice, thoughts, reflections, experience, memoirs, stories of victory and pictures of battle scars welcome. :blink:

There will be prizes of sticks of rhubarb for all who reply.

Nina
xx

(For those of you who may be confused by this last comment, Wakefield is the Rhubarb Capital of the UK and host to the annual Rhubarb Festival.)

Hi Neen
Take a look at this early thread - a lot of the setting up stuff was talked about: http://z11.invisionfree.com/Poets_On_Fire/...howtopic=2&st=0
Do ask if I can help with anything :)

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb .... ^_^

Ta Angela -

I remember this discussion now. I didn't take much notice of the thread at the time because I couldn't imagine an epoch when I'd be doing such a thing ... oh the twists and turns of fate!

And Jane - Roobarb to you too.

I've always associated rhubarb with Sylvia Plath. Is that because of the Bell Jar or did she write something specifically about rhubarb? Strange the way my mind works.

Open Mic Nights. I just MCed one last month at TOYK in Leamington Spa and found the actual MC bit - introducing people, organising the structure of the evening etc - extremely easy and fun. I love the sound of my own voice. But the admin stuff was a serious yawn. But then, I am utterly useless at admin; I have a phobia about the telephone and I tend to put off important paperwork until it's - usually - too late. So not a good person to run an open mic night, probably. Though in tandem with someone who enjoyed the donkey work, I'd be good.

Any donkeys out there? :P

I used to be very good at admin .... but people seemed to sniff this ability out and dumped all manner of paper work on me to the extent that I now have a phobia about it. I go pale at the mention of the word committee and shake when they start mumbling about finances and treasurers. :o Oh God - but it's happening again isn't it?? Websites and Open Mic Nights are just admin duties by another name. :(

You may find it useful to contact Brendan who runs Wicked Words in Leeds or Robin who runs Antics Upstairs in Sheffield b/c they may have some specific suggestions, or ways to collaborate locally? You may also like to check them out anyway... I should be able to put you in contact with them if it'd help.

Great to hear you're looking to do both those things - do say when the night is up and running.

Olly

Welcome, Contrarian! :D

HI Contrarian,

I'd like those details if you can PM me - Are you in the North somewhere too?
Having read through the previous thread I realise I may be faced with challenges that may not arise elsewhere. There was an Open Mic Night in Wakefield up until 3 years ago when the venue closed down. Nothing in the town centre seems possible so 4 of us within spitting distance of Sandal (exit 39 M1) have been trying to think of alternatives. There are no suitable Pubs or Wine Bars (Wakefield hasn't heard of Wine Bars) and the most attractive suggestion so far has been Agbrigg Community Centre (the other main contender being Church Rooms :wacko: ). This would be great for attracting a cross-section of the community but I am slightly worried about the lack of alcohol. We are thinking of encouraging a mixture of music and poetry .... but am still worried about the lack of alcohol, even though I don't drink. It is opposite a Mosque, so perhaps people would be understanding??? :unsure:

a search for pubs with function rooms came up with this: http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/19/...orse/Wrenthorpe

It may also be worth looking at hotels - if you pick a night of the week that isnt busy for them, you might be able to persuade them that their function room is worth donating for the money over the bar and the good PR it will bring.

I know several non-booze venues for open mics, not least one of the main open mics in Birmingham at the MAC. Never known it to put people off, though it's true that the poets who attend are older rather than younger, and their poetry is more 'sedate', shall we say, than the strongly political stuff you get at pub open mics. That's no doubt an over-generalisation, but all I mean is, it doesn't matter if you don't have a bar, it just depends what sort of event you're aiming at.

That is good to know, Jane. Perhaps if this takes off we could look at ways of getting younger folk in. I think it may be a good thing to move away from the pub/ workingmen's club environments - I'm often the only woman who turns up to poetry evenings and I would really like this to change.

I set up my night in the art gallery after I read in a free paper that some young art graduates had set up a gallery, and I knew it would be the place. The only reason I set it up was because I got bansihed from my usual place for getting us all barred for bringing my own cans to the pub and started singing rebel songs on the threshold of the Duke's Pub doorway with a crowd of homeless alcoholics and drug addicts, so the only readings I could get was to start my own.

It all worked out great coz the graduates are all young party types and we had a ball, but they didn't pay their rent and have been booted out, so I am searching for elsewhere now.

~

I discovered that I could never plan or know how the night would turn out until it arrived. One week we would be packed and the next, three people would turn up. But from the start I had a strategy to cope with "failure." Basically by trying to remember that even if no-one turned up, it didn't matter as I could use the space as a rehearsal room and contextualise it into a couple of hours practice time. And although this never happened, I was prepared for it. So whatever happened, the night was a success. It also helped that the gallery head honcho was really into the night and he was always there, ususally with a few pals. Even on the quite nights we had a great time as it was as much a poets workshop and support night as anything to do with bringing poetry to the public. And as the weeks went on a format developed of doing one or two poems each and just going round in a circle until the night naturally ended, usually around 1 am.

The most important thing is to just do it and you can't fail. I would also advocate getting some kind of musician every week as I think that the ideal way to run poetry is have three poets and then a musician. No matter who you are, after a while any audience gets bored with too much spoken word and the music breaks it up and so when the poetry comes back the audience are ready to re-imbibe the blather.

I got mine off the street on the (Thursday) afternoon of the night and one or two were knockout. Also if you can tape your night then you can insulate yourself against failure even more by making the theoretical foucus to produce a piece of recorded art of the night. I've got most of my nights recorded and have one ready to go and 15 hours of raw stuff to play with.

Just do it. Find a space and turn up. No matter what happens you have tried, and poetry is all about the process as much as the finished product. The whole writing-dodge means that no matter what happens you can write about it, so the more of a "failure" the night, the more comedic potential the scenario has. That's the way I manage. Knowing that the shambolic times can be turned to pure textual comedy.

After being exiled from the usual do my head was in bits, but I knew that the whole sorry affair was essential comic.

The thing they taught us in the third year drama modules, when we were studying performance artists like Annie Sprinkle, Franko B and others; was that art is how you contextualise it. So Annie Sprinkle's show The Public Cervix Announcement, in which she prizes open her vagina, screens the image via video on a screen and has the audience come up to peer at her in the flesh also; as well as being what it is - a woman in a room with a spatuala up her bits - can also be contextualised into art.

You going into an empty room in Wakefield to spin a few poems is nothing by comparison, so be confident and remember that as long as you try you won't fail and the characters you come across you can talk about on here.

Thanks Ovid - enlightening as ever! Good luck on finding a new venue soon. Maybe you should try the WI next time - at the very least they are likely to pay the rent. I do like the idea of dragging people in from the streets. I can't remember the last time I saw a busker in Wakefield, though I do recall being impressed by a bloke with a fiddle a couple of years back. I guess he may have moved on by now .... ;)

OOooo loook! My Mic's red hot now. Is that a good thing? :unsure:

BTW -

I don't know if you or anyone you know is a member of the Poetry Society, but I just saw the following on their website:

"Guidelines on 'How to set up and run a poetry reading' are also available to members free of charge upon request."

And thought of you, Neen!

;)

Olly

My membership is on the point of expiring but I'm one of these dreadful people who tend to try to get poems etc into the magazine so I can avoid paying the rather large annual fee. But I'll probably renew at Christmas because otherwise I won't get the dinky little copy of Poetry News alongside the main magazine!

If you're not a member, Neen, I can send off for that on your behalf if you like. I think my membership is okay for another month or so. Though you probably feel like an old hand by now and don't need any additional help!

:D

As for dragging people in off the streets, I actually did that once, rather memorably, in a gallery in Swindon. It was about ten years ago, a reading by Clare Pollard - one of her first, I suspect - and there were only about 3 people and a dog in the audience. I'd read there the day before and knew how she felt, having had quite a sparse crowd myself. So I dashed out to the street, and lo and behold, a group of teenage German tourists were walking past at that very moment.

I explained as best I could, pushing the fact that it was a FREE poetry reading, and to my amazement they trotted in, sat down, and clapped cheerily after every one of Clare's poems. I have no idea how good their English was but they seemed very enthusiastic and even stayed behind afterwards to thank her.

Rent-a-crowd. Can't beat it!

I get the Poetry Review and wondered recently about unpgrading to membership ... but wondered if it was worth it being so far from London? Perhaps it is after all. I looked at their Website and there seems no obvious way of upgrading. Maybe I'll have to use a what-ye-me-call-it ... te-le-phone? I think I can just about remember how to use one. :unsure:

Upgrading? Hmm. I thought you just joined the Society and got the mag along with a membership card. If you get Po Review, are you sure you're not already a member? I'm confused now. Unless you just buy the magazine on an ad hoc basis, whenever you're passing some amazingly well-stocked poetry-friendly bookshop in ... Wakefield ...

Maybe not.

:rolleyes:

I am a little confused too - however, it seems you can subscribe without becoming a member (I did this by mistake ... but then couldn't see much point in joining 'the club' as all the perks seemed to be around entering multiple poems into their poetry competition.) :huh:

I believe the Black Horse Poets meet twice monthly (2nd and last Tuesdays) in Henry Boons Pub on Westgate in Wakefield - check out the gig guide on the Write Out Loud web site for details
tt

Yep, we do. It isn't an open mic night, however. :)

Wot? No open mic? It's a disgrace! :D

Yeah, the best advice is to just do it! Get the thing off the ground through all the efforts you can imagine - legal of course!

Get yourself a plan, take in all the advice you hear but be sure to contact all the usual local and regional press, local radio, colleges, uni's, libraries, other open mike events in the area, lit fairs, folk and lit festivals, local tourist info centres an so on.

I organised one in deepest Doncaster and will be continuing it from January onwards but there is no need really to get worried about it all. Robin at the Red Deer, Sheffield, runs his every 2nd tuesday of the month, good venue but a little small for an influx of extra crowds. Just get out there and be part of the lunatic network of poetic performers.

I've also been to perform at The Poetry Cafe in London. Great enthusiasm there, both for their known favorites as well as newcomers. The cheery crowd gives you the lift you need as a performer before you do your stuff-good example to follow! Observe and learn. GO FOR IT AND DON'T LOOK BACK!

Welcome to the Poets On Fire Forum, Jerry.

I'm afraid it's a bit quiet at the moment here. Not so much 'on fire' as gone out! But it may pick up yet. I post occasionally to keep things ticking over. We have plenty of members and get quite a few hits from browsers most days, but few people actually bother to log in and post.

I'm also incredibly busy at the moment too, so can't give it my full attention. But I hope you come back!

There's always been quite a strong poetry scene in and around Doncaster, as I recall. I read there myself back in the late nineties. Perhaps you could tell us some more about what you're doing there, poetry-wise?

Yes - do tell about Doncaster! Apologies for my silence - I'm as sick as a dog with six heads and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Can't write, think, eat or cook. Pregnancy eh? Love to you all.

Ps Jane - am awaiting arrival of your book. Hopefully I'll be able to read by then.
N x