Freewrite on performing as a poet

Don't expect proper punctuation on this post. Or spelling for that matter. I'm just freewriting. You know. Getting out the garble in my brain. And I don't know if garble is a word but whatever. Oh, and I even think freewriting is supposed to be two words but I always spell it as one. Deal with it! I'm not angry. Exclamation marks always seem overly angry or happy. I'm neither.

Been thinking a lot about an article I'm writing about How I became a poet and I'm stuck on it a bit for some reason. Why? Well mostly because I mostly refer to myself as a storyteller these days. Or better, a blogger. A writer of thoughts. A reporter of musings if you will. And even if you won't. I used to be so jazzed about performing poetry and would go almost anywhere I was invited. Not anymore. Actually rarely anymore. I'm very selective about where I want to perform. It has to be really special to me. Very few places are. Mostly I like telling stories. I like standing or sitting in front of small crowds reading and telling stories. Telling jokes, well, not really jokes but saying funny stuff.

Well (shrugs shoulders), I'm doing what I love. That's not new. That's why I created Red Stories. I invite the artist, usually two, maybe three to come out and tell their stories. I love it. I love that the audience is set up to hear stories. I don't care if the poets ever recite their poetry during their feature. I love the unrehearsed, imperfect bump and flow of their stories. I love that we, the audience get to know the artist in ways that we won't get to on any other stage (that I know of). So, that's what's up.