Poetry open mics are a marvelous place to connect with other poets, test out a poem you’ve been working on, or hone your performance skills. The best ones can be exciting and varied, a place for growth and connection, discovery of great art and fellow artists. The worst ones, however, make the stereotype of self-absorbed, melodramatic poets seem mild.

If you’re venturing out into the open-mic world, keep these suggestions in mind as a way to do your part to make any open mic you attend one of the best:

• Follow the rules. If the host asks for one poem, don’t get up and say “I’m going to read three, but they’re short.” If they ask for a three-minute limit don’t pull out your epic and pretend you don’t see them waving at you to quit halfway through. It’s great that you are so eager to share, but the rules are there for a reason—usually to allow more people the chance to read. Don’t be selfish. We can’t all stay out until midnight.
• Pay attention to your presentation. There’s no point to reading in public if people can’t hear or understand you. You don’t have to be a theatrical slam poet with things memorized and people wondering where you studied acting. Just start with the basics of good reading: Don’t mumble. Slow down. Look up from your paper. Avoid monotone and sing-song. Afterward, ask people if they could hear you and how you sounded.
• Listen to everyone else, or at least as many as you can. We all have busy lives, and sometimes we have to leave early, but I shouldn’t have to explain why talking through the people before you and leaving right after your turn is rude.
• Don’t read something you haven’t reread once yourself. Every once in a while, you just have to share something brilliant you just drafted. But most of the time, announcing that you’re going to read something you just scribbled down on a napkin an hour ago says to your audience “You’re not worth even one thoughtful revision.” On the other hand, poems in progress that you are looking for feedback on are perfect open-mic material.
• Skip the poems that other people won’t get. Writing poetry is wonderful therapy, but unless you’re at an event specifically focused on that, remember that your audience doesn’t actually care about you feel/felt. (Sorry. It's true.) They care about how you make them feel.
• Give constructive, specific feedback. If you heard something you liked, make a point of telling the poet—and tell them why. What line stuck out? What did it make you feel/see/remember/understand? If you have a suggestion or critique, make it gently.
• Take feedback gracefully. If you’re at an open mic, then you do care for others’ opinions. Take in what people say, throw out what doesn’t make sense to you, and revise. It’s a rare poem that comes out perfect the first time.
• Have fun! It all goes better with a sense of humor.