{"id":10344,"date":"2025-04-09T01:21:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T01:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/?p=10344"},"modified":"2025-04-04T21:20:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T21:20:20","slug":"poetry-reading-vs-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/poetry-reading-vs-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"Poetry Reading vs. Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto4.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-10362\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto4-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman standing\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto4-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto4.jpeg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>There\u2019s such a difference between writing poetry and then reading it aloud. When I\u2019m writing, I\u2019m not paying attention to anything. It\u2019s just me locked away in my room when no one is watching, tucked away either in my bed or at my desk, letting the words flow through me. When I\u2019m writing on my own, my brain goes through a sort of time loop: start, stop, keep going, start, stop, keep going, and it just goes on and on again until I feel I\u2019m completely done.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5321.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-10351\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5321-187x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5321-187x300.jpeg 187w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5321.jpeg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 187px) 100vw, 187px\" \/><\/a>Both of my books were written in such weird times in my life. My first book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3PYTMQw\">Reality Check<\/a><\/em> was started during the pandemic, right when I\u2019d just lost my first library job, and I had nothing to do. I\u2019d needed an escape from my brain for awhile, so I\u2019d just write the day away. With <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Destinations-Danielle-Pitter\/dp\/B0DSPKT167\">Destinations<\/a><\/em>, I was a bit more relaxed in my writing approach. Because I had self-published a book before, I knew the routine. I didn\u2019t have to think so hard about what I was writing. But I\u2019d still didn\u2019t think much about performing or reading aloud. In 2022, I\u2019d done the 3rd Annual African-American Read-In at Piscataway Public Library, where local Black authors come in and read their work in honor or Black History Month. Back then, I\u2019d only <em>Reality Check<\/em> out, and I was so nervous to read in front a virtual audience. That moment of me reading my work for the first time was such a blur. I remember being there, but not being fully present, maybe due to nerves. In February 2025, however, I knew I had some confidence in writing more material for this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tapinto.net\/towns\/piscataway\/articles\/6th-annual-african-american-read-in#:~:text=You%20are%20invited%20to%20participate,everyone%20in%20the%20Piscataway%20community.\">6th Annual Read-In<\/a>. I knew that writing more material for people to read wasn\u2019t the issue; it was the public speaking aspect that was still making me nervous. To be honest, I was more nervous because my family and friends were coming! My family included my mom, oldest niece, her friend, my two best friends and their boyfriends. It was like two different worlds colliding, and I was the main reason this was happening. Which made me both nervous and excited!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5322.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-10353\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5322-188x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"188\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5322-188x300.jpeg 188w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/IMG_5322.jpeg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 188px) 100vw, 188px\" \/><\/a>I read one poem from each book: \u201cPromise\u201d from <em>Reality Check<\/em>, and \u201cMy Hair\u201d from <em>Destinations<\/em>. I remember being more present this time, probably because I knew the material and hoped that the people liked it. It\u2019s weird reading back your own work and hearing people\u2019s reactions in real-time. I\u2019d kept my head down the whole time because I didn\u2019t want to mess up on my words (which I did anyway). I also remember hearing more of a positive reaction to \u201cMy Hair\u201d than \u201cPromise\u201d probably because I chose it for Black History Month, and I wanted to read a post that appreciated my Black culture. As weird as it is reading back your own work, doing it helps to know what lines people are drawn to. As I was reading, I\u2019d heard a few laughs and chuckles, which made me a bit more confident to keep going. I didn\u2019t get those kinds of responses during the virtual reading back in 2022, so that was a nice change.<\/p>\n<p>After I finished my reading, I was pleasantly surprised at the round of applause and happy faces. I knew I was a good writer, but to see and hear people\u2019s positive feedback was such a good feeling, as nervous as I was. It made me happy to know that other people enjoyed hearing my work. I was also relieved that I could finally sit back and enjoy the rest of the event without nerves getting in the way. I really liked the other performers, such as Peggy Wong, Fleeta Bulle, and Roy Jarmon. It made me a bit jealous that they all had stronger performances than me. I thought their performances were incredible, powerful, and I\u2019d remember them after the program.<\/p>\n<p>After the event, many people come up to me and congratulate me on my reading. Some performers from the event also congratulated me and we got to talking more about our writing. I was mesmerized by how much connecting and networking I accomplished, and the expertise I gained from writing my books. One of the ladies asked me how I self-published my books. This prompted me to share about <a href=\"https:\/\/reedsy.com\/?gad_source=1&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADjxzWLm77XVyy3ldoUK2JLSEPdNI&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwwLO_BhB2EiwAx2e-3xQdVbQ4Gqs1AWGVsTE5e3WtWzusaa-0j0ysDRL_PkJfGMWtp30YKRoCzmgQAvD_BwE\">Reedsy<\/a>, my favorite online marketplace for writers to find editors, book cover designers, marketing, publicity, translations, ghostwriting, making an author website and more. I\u2019ve used this service for both editing and book cover designs, and it\u2019s a great way to connect with the best of the best.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m happy I got to share my writing out loud with my loved ones and meet other people who do what I do. I have more poetry reading events in the upcoming months, and this experience helped me love writing even more.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/18rGJtEUoD\/\">African American Read-In (NAACP Metuchen Edison, NJ, February 2025)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10363\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto1.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2025\/04\/AARIphoto1-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s such a difference between writing poetry and then reading it aloud. When I\u2019m writing, I\u2019m not paying attention to anything. It\u2019s just me locked away in my room when &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/poetry-reading-vs-writing\/\" class=\"\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3535,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,46,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-poetry","category-resources"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Poetry Reading vs. Writing - Books We Read<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/poetry-reading-vs-writing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Poetry Reading vs. Writing - Books We Read\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s such a difference between writing poetry and then reading it aloud. 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