Storytime

Deciding what to read at a venue that offers open mic...is a minefield. Is it a case of shutting your eyes and choosing the first few poems that you point at? I feel comfortable enough at a few venues ( Word Tree ...and Poetry in the Hut ) that I bravely venture with new work. Test the water (cliche I know) so to speak. Difficult to let new work fly....often I'm editing minutes before I get on stage ....often I'm editing as I read. And there are regulars that will tell me what they 'really' think- will offer up 'that was too long...you repeated yourself in the last stanza....or even...you had them.' But what to read at a venue that you have only visited a few times? How do you know what sort of audience you will have? Plan A is to always bring more poems than you intend to read. There is nothing worse than knowing you have time to read 3 poems, bring 3 poems then notice that the audience is not getting into any of them. Honestly, those are the times whe...