The first Thursday in October is National Poetry Day. It’s an opportunity for poets to celebrate their art form and share it with friends, family, and the wider community.
And poetry is important. In 2020, the National Literary Trust discovered that 66.5% of the children and young people they surveyed felt better during lockdown when they were writing poetry.
But there can be more to poetry than writing it. Performance poetry takes the form to a different arena, where the poet considers how their words are delivered and how their audience may experience it. So, could performance poetry help you develop your writing business further?
Performance principles
Mel Wardle Woodend (www. dreamwellwriting.simplesite.com) was Staffordshire’s Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022 and has written several poetry collections, including Just A Thought. For her, performance poetry is about bringing the art form to a wider audience.
‘Performance poetry, for me, is a really accessible way to share poetry and make it for everyone,’ she explains. ‘It can
