This week, we discussed the roles of audience, speaker, and poet. In particular, we focused on the myth of a ‘neutral’ audience.
When we talk about poetry, what do we mean when we say ‘audience’?
“An Audience is the person for whom a writer writes, or composer composes. A writer uses a particular style of language, tone, and content according to what [they] know about [their] audience. In simple words, audience refers to the spectators, listeners, and intended readers of a writing, performance, or speech” (https://literarydevices.net/audience/).
On audience and neutrality
When we think of an audience for our poetry, who are we talking about? We can mean this in two senses of the word: the audience as reader and the audience as listener (the person listening to the speaker tell their story).
”One of the central principles of feminist criticism is that no account can ever be neutral.”
Sexual/Textual Politics, Toril Moi (1985)
“That’s one thing I decided about audience a long time ago. That the audience would simply have to walk in if they could and if they couldn’t, well, they could go read something else.”
Dionne Brand, as quoted in The Black Atlantic Reconsidered: Black Canadian Writing, Cultural History, and the Presence of the Past, Winfried Siemerling (2015)
“The idea that poetry is not just about aesthetic enjoyment but about constructing the identities of poets and audiences, performing social relationships, and establishing public communities of critics is profound.”
The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry: Race, Identity, and the Performance of Popular Verse in America, Susan B. A. Somers-Willett (2009)
Audience in your own poetry
How do you imagine your audience? What do they look like? What language do they speak? How old are they?
What is a ‘neutral’ audience? As a culture, we may have been told, explicitly or implicitly, that a neutral audience might be White, English-speaking, neurotypical, abled, heterosexual, cisgender.
Can we subvert this? Can we flip it on its head?
As poets, we are given the job of witness. We are witnessing this moment. Who do we write for? Whom do we tell what we are seeing?
Reading living poets
“There Are Birds Here” by Jamaal May. Here is the poem. Here is a video of the poet reading the poem.
Think about who the audience for this poem might be. Who is the poet writing for? Who is the speaker of this poem speaking to?
Further reading:
“Dinosaurs in the Hood” by Danez Smith. Here is the poem. Here is a video of the poet reading the poem.
“From thirsty” by Dionne Brand. Here is the poem. Here is a video of the poet reading the poem.
Consider who the audience for these poems might be. Who is the poet writing for? Who is the speaker of this poem speaking to?
Writing Exercise #1:
Imagine your audience is you, in all your intersections. Write a poem to yourself, an imagined version of yourself, or someone just like you. Talk to them. Tell them what is happening, what you are seeing, feeling, and experiencing in this moment.
Writing Exercise #2:
Write a poem for someone you know. Choose someone specific in your mind. Write to them. Talk to them. Tell them what is happening, what you are seeing, feeling, and experiencing in this moment.
Closing thoughts
What will we do with the language we have been given? With the gift of these poems? Take care of yourselves. Read poetry, read living poets, read Black and Indigenous poets. Witness where and when we are. Write from your own particular position. Write to your own audience. Tell them what you see. Keep writing.