blueprints

Finishing Tools for the Event Itself | 269
is water at the podium or table, that there are enough chairs, and that the
sound system, if you have one, works.
Introductions
Introductions are important in setting the mood for the evening and in
helping poets feel welcome and appreciated. Begin by introducing yourself—name
and affiliation only. Thank your sponsors and supporters, the
people who run your venue, and anyone else who contributed significantly
to the event. Let everyone know when and where the next event will be.
Remind audience members to turn off their cell phones. If there will be a
signing after the presentation, announce it. Finally, introduce your poet or
poets.
Ideally, the introduction of a poet should include mention of her major
awards and recent books and communicate something interesting about her
work. This last bit should be smart above all and respectful but not fawning.
You can be witty but not at the poet’s expense (being witty at your own
expense is fine, as long as you don’t overdo it—the introduction should be
about the poet, not about you). Whoever introduces the poet must read
her work before she arrives—as much of it as possible. If that person is you,
there are advantages beyond helping you make a good introduction; for one
thing, it gives you something to talk with the poet about over dinner or
during car trips. It also, as we said, helps the poet feel welcome and appreciated.
As we already know, an appreciated poet is likely to be a happy,
pleasant poet.
An introduction needs to do a lot of things in a short time. Because
your audience is there to hear the poet or poets, not the introducer, no
introduction should ever go longer than five minutes (three is better) or, at
the very most, 10 percent of the allotted presentation time, which is usually
forty-five to fifty minutes for a single presenter. If you are introducing multiple
poets, adjust accordingly; for a large panel, it may be best simply to say
the poets’ names and refer the audience to the program or bio sheet. After
you compose your remarks, read them aloud before the event to make sure
they come in under time.
When you take your seat, your job during a reading, talk, panel, class, or
other kind of presentation is to be the best listener in the house. You may be
busy and preoccupied with logistics, but take this time to give yourself over
to the pleasures of poetry and the intellectual life you helped create. This is