1. No one wants to hear another
breakup poem. Tear stains on your pillow, you have been left shattered, and
something about dandelions and ribcages—we get it. Please write them; they’re
beneficial to your healing process, but unless you have a new, interesting twist
on heartbreak, leave those bad boys at home. (Example of an interesting twist on heartbreak.)
2. Do not judge a person who is
reading a breakup poem. (Unless you’re a judge at a slam.) Speaking words in front of strangers can be simultaneously terrifying and therapeutic.
Do not be an asshole.
3. Truly listen to the other poets, and be respectful. Even a bad poem can carry a great line. And even if
you don’t find inspiration in others, you can at least leave knowing that you’re
a nice, thoughtful person, you motherfucker.
4. If you only came to listen to
yourself speak, go home. Just keep in mind that mirrors might listen well but they can’t help you
grow.
5. If the intro to the poem is longer
than the actual poem, it’s probably not a very good poem. Unless you’re the
feature, no one cares about the layup, just dunk the damn thing.
6. Let your poems speak for themselves.
7. Poet-voice is okay when it is
genuine. People can tell the difference between a persona and heart-speak.
Always choose the latter.
8. Refrain from stating the obvious.
We already know you’re nervous, and we don’t care that it’s been forever since
you’ve read or that you’ve been writing since you were eleven. (Unless it's your first time EVER. Let us know so you can get extra love for being so brave.)
9. If you get nervous, don’t imagine
the audience in their underwear, imagine them taking a shit. Remember that we’re
all just human beings, and even the person you admire most has to take shits.
10. A journal entry is not necessarily
a poem.
11. A journal entry is not necessarily
a poem.
12. There’s a sweet spot between not
giving a fuck about what other people think and giving a fuck about other people.
When you find it, you’ve won at life. Find it and you’ll peek into your core self.
You’ll become true to your art and will give the best of who you are.
