Art and Poetry

I have attended a few live poetry readings and poetry slams, and they all  -- no matter the difference in venue -- carried some similarities. For starters, when I arrived I found a place to sit, and then I never had to move until it was over. The poets would move to the front of the room one by one and share their poems. All I had to do was listen. At the poetry reading that was held in the MOA on BYU campus, there were two added dimensions to the experience: Mobility and art.

The way this poetry slam worked is that the whole group moved around the art gallery, with poets stepping forward to share a poem inspired by a certain artwork. I've never had to stand at a poetry reading before, let alone move around. At this poetry reading, I had to do both. This stopped me from getting drowsy or daydreaming, and I was more engaged overall.


I also loved being able to see the art. As the poets read, I was able to focus on something visually captivating and not just on the person who was speaking. This was nice because it added an extra something to each poem that was shared. I didn't have to rely solely on imagery or voice or emotion to appreciate the words; the art provided a sort of safety net upon which the poet could land if they fumbled in their speech. This made any awkwardness less noticeable than if the poet was just speaking.

All in all, it was a nice new approach for me to poetry readings. I'm more of a visual person anyway, so it was an enjoyable experience for me.