The Poetry Problem - Think Bigger
There’s no road map to a career in poetry. Getting in with the right collective, the right MA, the right programme, the right gigs doesn’t guarantee success in this industry. Even writing well and performing well are not a ticket to sustainable, let alone thriving, poetry careers.
I see a lot of poets measure themselves according to the checkpoints other poets accomplish. For many of us, these external benchmarks are the only way we can really chart progress, but “comparison is the thief of joy.” If our success only requires a comparison to someone else, in a competitive format, is it really the kind of success we want?
The guiding paths for poets looking to do this professional are:
Develop a workshop package
Make a one-person theatre show
Publish a solo collection
I’m not saying these are viable, what I’m here to posit today is “Is this what you want success to look like?”
Poetry careers are unique things. There is no one path through this industry, and it may be that the benchmarkslisted above aren’t the measures you want to hit.
I knew from early in my career that making a theatre show isn’t something I’m interested in. That might change, but I don’t have a love of theatre in that way. I’m happy to limit my stage time to performing alongside other poets. If everyone is makiong a theatre show, regardless of passion or quality, how does that impact the market?
We have a supply and demand issue in poetry. There’s a lot of people who want to make poetry their job, and not a lot of people turning up to support early career poets. We need to fix this, but are we going to do that repeating the same tricks as those who come before us. Are some of us ready to publish the book, to make the show? Or is there something better for them.
I want poets to think about how they get their work out. What are other people not doing?
Can you make a flypostering campaign as a poetry treasure hunt? Can you make a digital artwork to display in a gallery?
We see words in action every day, in tech, in advertising, in art. There’s so many unique ways to present poetry, if we just lift the blinders a little.
This sort of thinking is great for funders. The people on the other end of a funding bid are human beings, and as such they want to feel useful, that the idea being shown to them is so unique it couldn’t happen with out them, and that it isn’t going to take audience away from projects the’ve already funded.
Talk to other artists, follow their work, look for sparks of ideas and chances to mix mediums.
Why be everyone else, when you could be yourself.
As always our comments and inbox are open for people who want to continue the conversation, or ask questions.
If you’re interested in keeping this conversation going, I’m available for coaching and mentor for poets of all levels, with over a decade of experience in artist development. My booking system is here: calendly.com/connorsansby Sessions are £30 an hour but the first intro call is free.
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