Presenting You: Techniques and Practice for Live Readings

If you’ve ever applauded wildly after a live reading and thought, “I wish I could do that” — or if you’ve ever suffered through a flat literary performance and thought, “I never want to do that” — then this is the class for you.

Over three sessions, we’ll talk about how to find your voice, overcome anxiety, and engage an audience. We’ll look at

• Writing and curating work for live readings
• Finding venues that are right for you
• Practicing, practicing and practicing
• What to do before you go on and while you’re on

With the goal of making participants more comfortable with presenting their work and better able to connect with audiences, this course will give each student a chance to practice reading in front of the class at every session. Then, the final Sunday, February 3, class participants and instructor Daniel Ari will read and perform their work in Live Performance from "Presenting You", a public reading at The Writing Salon's Berkeley location.

“The goal isn’t to put on an act,” says instructor Daniel Ari. “It’s about being your genuine self and sharing work you’re proud of—because that’s what an audience wants to experience. Here’s where you can learn techniques and try them in a low-risk setting. Going forward, you’ll be able to make live presentations more fulfilling for audiences and for yourself.”