A
poetry reading is a public oral recitation or performance of
poetry. A public reading is typically given on a small stage in a
café or
bookstore, although reading by prominent poets frequently are booked into larger venues such as
amphitheaters and college auditoriums, to accommodate crowds. Unless otherwise indicated in advance, poetry readings almost always involve poets reading their own work or reciting it from memory—the recitation of a work by another poet is normally the act of a well-known poet who chooses to read a few poems by lesser-known poets or old friends that the poet feels should be more widely recognized. Poetry readings often involve several readers (often called "featured poets" or "featureds"), although normally one poet is chosen as a "headliner."