Yawn-Free Literary Readings for Authors Workshop by Catherine Hernandez
Welcome and thank you for taking part in my workshop at the Naked Heart Festival.
I proposed this workshop to the festival because I knew a great amount of authors who experience difficulty reading their work publicly. I also heard publishers at last year’s festival who expressed their frustration with their roster of authors who are reticent to read.
I am a theatre practitioner turned author so it is with a great amount of joy that I share some of my strategies as a performer with the literary community. Today I am simply providing ways in which you can share your truth.
Many readings are filled with fear and ego. Either an author is apologetic, afraid and shy OR they are self indulgent and precious about their work. Both of these approaches centre the author in the work rather than the actual writing. This reading isn’t about you. It’s about giving the audience a chance to hear a story. So let’s focus on how to make your work shine!
Ask yourself questions
Where is it taking place?
How will I read it?
Lastly, have fun! I asked some of the most compelling readers at the festival what their secret is to reading well and one of them said “I’m good at reading because I love reading my work. It’s fun.”
I proposed this workshop to the festival because I knew a great amount of authors who experience difficulty reading their work publicly. I also heard publishers at last year’s festival who expressed their frustration with their roster of authors who are reticent to read.
I am a theatre practitioner turned author so it is with a great amount of joy that I share some of my strategies as a performer with the literary community. Today I am simply providing ways in which you can share your truth.
Many readings are filled with fear and ego. Either an author is apologetic, afraid and shy OR they are self indulgent and precious about their work. Both of these approaches centre the author in the work rather than the actual writing. This reading isn’t about you. It’s about giving the audience a chance to hear a story. So let’s focus on how to make your work shine!
Ask yourself questions
- Where is it taking place?
- Who am I sharing space with?
- Who will be listening?
- What will I be reading?
- How can I read it?
Where is it taking place?
- Is there a mic? If not, what can I do to ready my voice so that everyone can hear? Warm up your vocal chords. Exercise your lips and tongue.
- Is there a stand? If yes, this helps me prepare gestures for my reading and if not it means I will have to manage turning and holding pages.
- How large is the space? This will affect the energy in the room.
- What is the sound like? Consider how sound travels in the room. Is it outdoors? This would mean I would have to consider how well people can hear me.
- Is there ASL interpretation? This would mean I would have to respect the pace in which it will be interpreted, where I will stand to ensure visibility.
- Is there a way my work can stand out? This isn’t about being better than anyone. This is about ensuring the audience won’t be hearing yet another identity piece or coming out piece when I know I can offer something else. This gives the audience variety in energy.
- Google your fellow readers so you can respectfully engage with them. Greet each one and introduce yourself.
- is the crowd progressive or conservative?
- What is your goal with this audience? Do you want to stir shit up and do something subversive to a room full of folks used to poems about snails and lilies? Do you want to woo an agent or publisher so that they know you are a good reader? Do you want to promote the publishing date of your next book?
- How long do you have? Ask the organizer how much you have and stick to it. LESS TIME IS BETTER.
- Time yourself including intro and thank yous. Practice.
- What is your best work?
- What can you read well without going over time?
- Display voices. Think reading a story to a child. Commit to the voices. The more serious you are about those voices the more engaging those voices will be to the audience.
- Create a variety of tone and pace.
- Where is a good place to end your reading?
How will I read it?
- Some authors like to use technology to do things like play music during their reading. Make sure it is well timed, easy to set up and does not diminish from the actual words. I have rarely seen a reading made better by these embellishments, but if you do go down this route, make it quick.
- I use print outs of my work so that I can mark pauses, inflection, dramatic moments, emphasized words and pace. I highlight or circle quotes where I will speak in a person’s voice.
- If a person’s voice or quote is not of my culture then I do not do that voice to avoid cultural appropriation.
- If you are reading from a print out, be sure to hold your book so that the audience knows what it looks like when they are purchasing it later.
- I dog ear the pages of my printout or use a rubber finger so that I can turn pages easily.
- When using a microphone, be a pro! Hold the microphone on your chin and speak directly into it. When turning your head, let the microphone follow so people can hear you. Do not stand too close to a speaker or monitor or else there will be loud feedback.
- If you have a set up such as an instrument or playback music or whatever, try to go first so that you don’t have to waste everyone’s time watching you fumble OR learn to set up in mere seconds. Your set up time is part of your reading time so be respectful to your fellow readers.
Lastly, have fun! I asked some of the most compelling readers at the festival what their secret is to reading well and one of them said “I’m good at reading because I love reading my work. It’s fun.”