For years National Poetry Month used to inevitably be followed by National Burn Out Month in May. Challenging yourself to write a poem a day while attending multiple poetry events per week for five weeks straight is a recipe for burnout, especially for many introverted and neurodivergent writers who need ample solitude to recharge. There are 11 other months in the year. It’s okay to rest in April.
“Institutions that do not offer payment for the poet’s work must be, at least, aware that it is no honor for anyone to work for free, and that they are the ones who should feel indebted and grateful.” – Manuel Iris, Poet Laureate of Cincinnati, Ohio.
I want to tell my fellow poets that it is okay to say, “no,” and that any organization or event organizer that doesn’t respect your “no” doesn’t respect you as a poet. If they continue to beg you, or try to guilt trip you, it’s okay to ignore them.
You are not a bad person for having time management skills. You are not a bad person for wanting to rest. It’s okay to want to be compensated instead of exploited. It’s honorable to put your health first when a venue is not accessible. It’s okay if you have to put your family first. It’s okay if your day job comes first.
It’s normal to expect not to be paid for participating in a community open mic where dozens of poets are given equal time and none are paid, or if you are volunteering your time for a cause you believe in. However, doing this too frequently sets up the expectation that you’ll always be willing to perform for free, and that can get expensive.
Featured poets should be paid, especially if they are being asked to travel beyond the city that they live in by organizations who rake in thousands of dollars annually. With gas at $6/gallon, tolls at $8.50, and the cost of living rising, it is increasingly important that featured poets aren’t constantly expected to perform out of the goodness of our hearts, and take a gamble at bookselling. The honorarium takes the pressure off.
If you’re wealthy enough and comfortable bankrolling your own gigs, then feel free to ignore my advice, but the volunteer culture surrounding poetry locks out many talented poets who would love more stage time, but can’t justify taking off work just to get it.
Below is a pros and cons list of evaluating gig offers based on my decade of performing experience. These are reasons why I might politely decline to return or enthusiastically wish to participate when it comes to future offers.
| Green Flags – Consider saying “yes” | Red Flags – Consider saying “no” |
|---|---|
| The organization is one you respect and are excited to work with. | The organization practices elitism by valuing and promoting some performers more than others. |
| You’re invited to feature alongside poets you get along with and whose work you love hearing live. | You’re invited to feature alongside poets who see themselves as better than you and treat you or others poorly. |
| The gig is at a reasonable time of day for you to attend. | The gig is scheduled too late at night or early in the morning that it would cause you too much inconvenience, cutting into your sleep and harming your health. |
| The gig is a reasonable distance away, or if not, it compensates you. | The gig is far away and the organizers don’t value your time enough to pay you to help with travel costs. |
| The venue is a safe space and protects its performers from harassment or unwanted physical touch. | Staff or organizers do not step in when they see someone being harassed, and don’t ban perpetrators. |
| The gig pays you an honorarium. | The gig expects free labor, or wants you to pay a fee to perform. |
| The organization charges entry fees, and pays all of its featured performers. | The organization charges entry fees, but does not pay you for your performance |
| You are not expected to donate to a fundraiser since you are volunteering your time. | The organization demands a donation on top of your volunteer performance. |
| The venue provides free food and drink to you as a perk. | The organization demands you buy something from their venue and will deny you stage time if you refuse. |
| The organization provides space for you to sell your books. | The organization wants 50% – 100% of your book selling profits from the event |
| The event is between 1 to 2 hours which accommodates people with back issues who would otherwise need to leave early. | The event is longer than 2 hours, and is not part of a larger conference. |
| You are given the opportunity to read more than one poem, remaining on stage for at least 10 minutes. | You are asked to limit your stage time to one poem, thus making your featured time no different than attending your favorite open mic. |
| The venue provides its own podium and sound system, which signals that they care about accessibility. | The venue expects you to bring your own sound system and podium, which signals that they are not open to performers with lifting restrictions or accessible for audience members with hearing issues. |
| Staff at the organization consistently treat you with kindness, hospitality, and respect. | Staff at the organization spend several minutes criticizing the content of your work, your achievement level, your publisher, your distributor, or your performance style, while simultaneously refusing to pay you for appearing. |
| You are one of 1-3 featured poets given equal attention in promotional materials | There are a large number of features |
| You are invited by a fellow poet you a) respect b) are excited to work with c) willing to travel to | You are invited by an organization or poet that a) you’ve had conflict with b) is too far away or c) not providing compensation |
| There are no ideal gigs, very few will be all yeses in this column, but if the positives outnumber the negative, then give it a shot. | These are just reasons that a gig may be a mismatch, and to consider declining a gig. You may still decide to participate anyways, depending on how important the event is to you, and your personal budget. |