Two years ago, Rina Risper, founder of Nu Poets, had trouble finding a venue for an open-mic poetry night. But now the number of clubs, coffee shops and bars available for a night of spoken word is dazzling.
"It's spiraled into something I never thought it would be," Risper said. "It's extremely popular.
"We have groupies, so I know it's pretty popular."
Risper said the interest in poetry, both written and performed, isn't a fad because Nu Poets is going strong and draws in a crowd of 50-70 people at each of their events.
The Lansing and East Lansing area offers many venues for word performances. Some popular ones include 621, Magdalena's Tea House, Creole Gallery, The Temple Club, Gregory's Ice and Smoke and Schuler Books & Music.
Performance is an important part of poetry because it allows the writer to control how his or her work is presented and interpreted by an audience, said Mike Smola, a freelance poet and a CARRS graduate student.
Smola has been writing poetry for eight years and has been performing his works for almost as long. He was inspired, he said, by a performer at an open-mic night at Illinois State University.
He said watching someone express themselves with such strength and determination convinced him that performing poetry was the only true way for listeners to understand the art.
"It's always been performance for me because I don't like the way poetry comes out on the printed page," Smola said. "A lot is given to the piece in performance because you can put the feeling into it, instead of having to explain it."
Joe Peligro, a second-year media technology student at Lansing Community College and member of Nu Poets, said performing poetry allows for the words to be reborn each time they are spoken.
Different people can emphasize different syllables in order to convey what they view as important ideas in a poem.
"You bring it. That's the classic term," Peligro said. "You get on stage, and you show the audience a different perspective in a way that's completely fresh to them."
Smola said different delivery styles change the performances of nonoriginal poems and prove they can be just as poignant as the poets' own creations.
Peligro said a bad delivery of an original poem can be worse than presenting a traditional work that has been heard a lot, yet poets are sympathetic and understand it takes time to develop a good performance persona, he said.
"It takes a certain level of talent, dedication and skill to get the level of slam poet," Peligro said.
There are several different common styles for spoken words. There is the "feathery tone," in which people often pause and speak in a whispered voice. Peligro said the slam style, where every word is enunciated, and rap or rhythm poetry are also common.
The idea of delivery also drives performing songs at open-mic poetry nights. Smola said music and poetry are tightly intertwined, especially the lyrics of songs.
The performance is about the message, and many poets say they are inspired by social conditions and politics, Smola said.
One of the reasons the "poetry community" is able to survive is the passion felt by the Lansing and East Lansing poets, he said.
Risper said a desire to perform is essential - it doesn't matter if a poet has years of experience or is a novice. Anyone who has emotion and wants to share feelings is welcome in the poetry community.
"It's just pure love," she said. "It's so beautiful the way the poets in the area support each other."
