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Poetry Appreciation 101

Ready to check out spoken-word? Pedro Jarquin offers tips on enjoying the show.

Respect the mike. To avoid a beat-down, don't carry on a conversation while someone's on stage. "If you just listen, the poet will guide you through his performance," Jarquin said.

Think like it's theater. Each poet in the lineup will get into character, as if performing a mini-play. Look beyond the poet's appearance to figure out which persona is speaking.

Feel it all over. Unlike in high school English class, at a live performance you get to hear the poem straight from the source, with all the emotion the poet intended. Listen to any lines that are emphasized or repeated and find your own meaning.

Spot a pro. An effective spoken-word artist believes in his own words and captures the mood of the poem with his voice.

Don't be shy. Forget about the finger snap. If you like something, give a shout to let the poet know. Audience participation is welcome at spoken-word shows.

Foolish State

The show is 7 p.m. Sunday at the State Theatre, 687 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. Tickets are $10. Get more info at (727) 698-3998 or www.nationofpoetry.com.

Lance Aram Rothstein/tbt* (2006)

Jeffrey James Skatzka, left, and Pedro Jarquin perform as Purple Bubble during poetry night at the Lobby Bar on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg.

"Ask and you shall receive, go for it and you might achieve." That's Pedro Jarquin's M.O.

Jarquin, 23, of St. Petersburg, teaches performance poetry at Wildwood Recreation Center and organizes spoken-word events at local cafes, bars and other modest venues.

But to bring Tampa Bay's poetry scene up from the underground, Jarquin needed a spot that was big and inarguably legit. For years he'd been asking larger performance halls to let him hold a spoken-word event, but they kept turning him down.

Now on Sunday, the first day of National Poetry Month, Jarquin will get his big break at the State Theatre with Foolish State, a variety show with two-dozen performers including spoken-word artists, bands, a belly dancer, break dancer, DJ and more.

Among the poets are teen prodigy Asia Elliot and Jeffrey James Skatzka, who teams up with Jarquin to form the improvisational spoken-word duo Purple Bubble. The emcee will be David Durney, co-host of Resurrection poetry night at The Lobby bar in St. Pete.

"Everyone goes to an open mike. They say, 'Hey, I got a CD out.' They're promoting themselves. They do a couple of poems and then they leave," Jarquin said. "What I'm trying to encourage is more of these local artists start working with each other and putting their talents together and actually go bigger and outside of themselves."

The State Theatre normally charges $900 to $1,200 to rent the space for a private event, but it offers an unspecified discount to people affiliated with USF and Eckerd College - Jarquin's alma mater.

"I do 200 shows a year at State Theatre, so it's kind of nice to get something that's different," said Ken Jobson, the theater's general manager. This is the first time a locally produced spoken-word event will be on Ticketmaster.com.

The State Theatre holds 705 people. Jobson said Jarquin can consider his event successful if 100 people show up, everyone is safe and there are no complaints to the city. When tbt* spoke with Jarquin on Monday, he'd already sold 300 tickets.

Jarquin's goal for Foolish State is to show bay area residents what they've been missing at smaller spoken-word events, many of which are free.

"So if we have to charge for you to go to an event 'cause you're gonna think it's better - it's going to be bigger than anything we've ever done, but at the same time if you'd given us a chance before, we could do bigger every time," Jarquin said.

Jobson said Jarquin defies the stereotype of the disorganized, chronically late poet.

"Pedro's had five dress rehearsals already for the thing. He's real anal about it," Jobson said on Monday. "It was pretty impressive, so I'm pretty excited to see how he does."