Have you ever wondered about "poet voice?"

It seems to be a natural dramatisation of speech to evoke feelings more than meanings, I think. I've noticed many styles of reading poetry. Sometimes it's so exaggerated that it's difficult to stay on the same page as the reader, but other times the effect is like a river of emotions flowing from the reader and into the listeners.

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mdbrantingham (59) · 6 years ago (edited)

The "poet voice" the piece is referring to is monotonous, droning, and affected - the very opposite of the exaggerated "river of emotions" that you would expect would be suited for poetry. It's a common phenomenon at poetry readings.

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kilbride (55) · 6 years ago

I have always disliked that cadence almost across the board. I'm not in circles where I've heard it discussed but almost 20 years ago when I a friend suggested that I go to and participate in a poetry slam, my poem was actually a sort of mockery of the - what seems to me cartoony- vocal undulations that are for some reason THE way you are supposed to read your poetry. Anyway, I still have only done maybe 5 readings in my life, and I now see without a doubt that it is because something about this poet voice isn't appealing to me! haha It's like when I realized I didn't looove The Doors because I don't like organ music and zydeco is maybe the only genre I've come across that I just don't enjoy--- so weird and simple when something clicks haha!!

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kilbride (55) · 6 years ago

I will also say that it might be even more grating to me because I grew up on hip hop and although I don't write with a hip hop cadence (well rarely, but it sneaks in) there was so much variation and subtlety, while also allowing for weird sounds and hyper kid rukus . Since rappers are just poets, I always wonder why poets had such a narrow range they drew from when practicing their voices..

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