---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An Introduction to Poetry Readings\"…"
description: "\"“An Introduction to Poetry Readings\" Preaching to the converted, the tormented and perverted Introspective melancholics, axe-grinding alcoholics Welcom..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/nasty-nigel-lawrence-187802_books_an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preac_789004.jpg"
---

#  An Introduction to Poetry Readings" Preaching to the…

![“An Introduction to Poetry Readings&quot; Preaching to the converted, the tormented and perverted Introspective melancholics, axe-grinding alcoholics Welcome to a night of wine and words! Who's that in the corner? What a beret! What panache! He's erudite and horny and he's high on cheap grenache Fruity…” quote by Nasty Nigel Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/nasty-nigel-lawrence-187802_books_an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preac_789004.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/nasty-nigel-lawrence-187802_books_an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preac_789004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/nasty-nigel-lawrence-187802_books_an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preac_789004.jpg)

> ““An Introduction to Poetry Readings" Preaching to the converted, the tormented and perverted Introspective melancholics, axe-grinding alcoholics Welcome to a night of wine and words! Who's that in the corner? What a beret! What panache! He's erudite and horny and he's high on cheap grenache Fruity and mellifluous, he thinks he is mischievous He's just a prick and devious, you'd better watch your back For the arts are very crafty, then the room turns blank and drafty And there's agonizing boredom still to come Direct from minds like hovels, poems twice the length of novels You may never see your family alive again God is dead and who can blame him? When there's nights like this to shame him If I was him I'd rise and just strike back But the evening's just begun, and there's two hours yet to come So please, "Put your hands together for the first poet for this evening!””

Nasty Nigel Lawrence

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A chaotic, irreverent call to a poetry reading, mixing satire, nihilism, and hedonism.

**In simple terms:** Crazy poetry night with dark humor.

Key Takeaway

Embrace chaos, question norms.

Themes

satire nihilism hedonism performance artistic rebellion

Mood

ironic dark energetic

Type

Books:0 God is dead:0 Hands together:0 Poems:0 Poet:0 Poetry:0 Unpublished:0 Poetry Readings:0 Introduction Poetry:0 Poet Evening:0

When to use this quote

- poetry reading
- nightlife events
- alternative performance

Key Concepts

counterculture postmodernism subversion

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “God is dead” mean here?
- How does humor shape your view of art?

A Different Perspective

Depth may be lost in shock value.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [God is dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-is-dead/) [Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Unpublished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpublished/)

## Related quotes

> [Introduction To Poetry I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/introduction-to-poetry-i-ask-them-to-take-a-poem-and-hold-it-up-to/)

[Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

> [“In 2013 there were 7,427 poetry readings in April, many on a Thursday. For anyone born in 1928 who pays attention to poetry, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/in-2013-there-were-7-427-poetry-readings-in-april-many-on-a-thursday/)

[Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/)

> [“poetry readings have to be some of the saddest damned things ever, the gathering of the clansmen and clanladies, week after week, month after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/poetry-readings-have-to-be-some-of-the-saddest-damned-things-ever-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [It's not a love of poetry readings that attracts those who do come to them but theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-ammons/it-s-not-a-love-of-poetry-readings-that-attracts-those-who-do-come-to/)

[A. R. Ammons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-ammons/)

> [I was reading poetry to my girlfriends, and they were like, 'You're really good. You should go to some poetry readings or something.' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/i-was-reading-poetry-to-my-girlfriends-and-they-were-like-you-re/)

[Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/)

> [I never really liked poetry readings; I liked to read poetry by myself, but I liked singing, chanting my lyrics to this jazz group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-never-really-liked-poetry-readings-i-liked-to-read-poetry-by-myself/)

[Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/)

> [Of course a poem is a two-way street. No poem is any good if it doesn't suggest to the reader things from his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-laughlin/of-course-a-poem-is-a-two-way-street-no-poem-is-any-good-if-it-doesn/)

[James Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-laughlin/)

> [We have seen the best minds of our generation destroyed by boredom at poetry readings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/we-have-seen-the-best-minds-of-our-generation-destroyed-by-boredom-at/)

[Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/)

> [As for the differences between audio and the printed page, the sonic aspects of poetry are important to me. I read my poems aloud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/as-for-the-differences-between-audio-and-the-printed-page-the-sonic/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [“Very few authors, especially the unpublished, can resist an invitation to read aloud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/very-few-authors-especially-the-unpublished-can-resist-an-invitation/)

[Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/)

> [My father was a very prolific writer and he left behind a huge body of unpublished work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carter-cash/my-father-was-a-very-prolific-writer-and-he-left-behind-a-huge-body/)

[John Carter Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carter-cash/)

> [The first thing an unpublished author should remember is that no one asked him to write in the first place. With this firmly in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-farrar/the-first-thing-an-unpublished-author-should-remember-is-that-no-one/)

John Farrar

> [I've written 16 children's books and five unpublished novels. Some of the latter were breathtakingly bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-ve-written-16-children-s-books-and-five-unpublished-novels-some-of/)

[Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/)

> [In the end, the difference between a published writer and an unpublished one comes down to one thing: The unpublished writer gave up, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-delton/in-the-end-the-difference-between-a-published-writer-and-an/)

[Judy Delton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-delton/)

> [To me, all the juice of a book is in an unpublished manuscript, and the published book is like a dead tree - just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/to-me-all-the-juice-of-a-book-is-in-an-unpublished-manuscript-and-the/)

[Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“An Introduction to Poetry Readings\" Preaching to the converted, the tormented and perverted Introspective melancholics, axe-grinding alcoholics Welcome to a night of wine and words! Who's that in the corner? What a beret! What panache! He's erudite and horny and he's high on cheap grenache Fruity and mellifluous, he thinks he is mischievous He's just a prick and devious, you'd better watch your back For the arts are very crafty, then the room turns blank and drafty And there's agonizing boredom still to come Direct from minds like hovels, poems twice the length of novels You may never see your family alive again God is dead and who can blame him? When there's nights like this to shame him If I was him I'd rise and just strike back But the evening's just begun, and there's two hours yet to come So please, \"Put your hands together for the first poet for this evening!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nasty Nigel Lawrence"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasty-nigel-lawrence/an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preaching-to-the-converted-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasty-nigel-lawrence/an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preaching-to-the-converted-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/nasty-nigel-lawrence-187802_books_an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preac_789004.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/nasty-nigel-lawrence-187802_books_an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preac_789004.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4c/nasty-nigel-lawrence-187802_books_an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preac_789004.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“An Introduction to Poetry Readings\" Preaching to the converted, the tormented and perverted Introspective…” — Nasty Nigel Lawrence",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Nasty Nigel Lawrence",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nasty-nigel-lawrence/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“An Introduction to Poetry Readings\" Preaching...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasty-nigel-lawrence/an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preaching-to-the-converted-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nasty-nigel-lawrence/an-introduction-to-poetry-readings-preaching-to-the-converted-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
