Introduction to Atlanta Slam/Spoken-Word Poetry Week

[cadenzamuse]

Hi! I'm cadenzamuse, and I'm hosting a week on some Atlanta spoken word/slam poets that I like.

I am not a slam or spoken word poet, so I don't know very much about it other than a: it's an out loud/performed type of poetry and b: I like it. So I turned to Wikipedia to learn about the basics.

Wikipedia says that modern spoken-word poetry originated from the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and was also shaped by the beatniks. It has deep roots in Black culture and politics.

Poetry slams are spoken-word poetry competitions that started in the mid-1980s. Slam poetry has roots in dub poetry and hip-hop (which are also both often political art forms).

But that's really dry. So how about some spoken word self-definitions?

Become a slam poet in five steps, by Gayle Danley
Miss Gayle's 5 Steps to Slam Poetry,
a lesson of transformation.

Step 1:
Write it all down.

"Take one memory,
explore it like a new land,"
the visiting poet tells the class.
"Don't leave anything out."
Tyler sits in this high school workshop,
dizzy with where to start.
Memories wander in and out of his heart
like vagrants searching for home.
He bends to his desk,
he writes,
"The snow goes black
when the moon turns its eyes away,
all paper is yellow,
all letters spell eviction note,
Mama's lies are footsteps
too many to count.
Making excuses on black snow.
'I paid the rent,
this is your room forever, baby.
I love you.'
But, she wouldn't even look at me."

Step 2:
Read out loud.

As he writes, his lips try on words
then toss them out like bad tenants.
He pushes his desk back,
stands.
"Aunt Jocelyn's rice pudding was sweet,
but that's not what I want to write.
Have you ever been so cold
your hair becomes an icicle?
Your little sister's fear of the dark
freezes on her lips
like she's kissed the ice tray?
How hungry have you been?"

Step 3:
Cut the fat.

Abandon extra words.
His pen becomes a machete,
slashing ands, thens, becauses.

Step 4:
Read out loud,
again.

The 11th grade boy makes sure
Step 3's cuts weren't too deep.

Step 5:
Add flava.

Juice,
power,
movement,
emotion.
"Vanilla flavoring is the secret to my aunt's pudding.
I kick out a few raisins but leave one or two.
Life needs some bitter
to man up the sweet."
His hands reach out like shells
to hold our disbelief.
Is this Tyler speaking?
The one who keeps his eyes on the floor
like they're carrying something heavy?
Voice rattles windows.
"I am free now."
Body quivers with the pulse of each word.
"The sun's joy melts snow."
Fingers trace the curve of his jaw.
"My aunt's face was warm as a water heater
when she let us in that night."
Our boy is done,
his transformation complete.

Step 1: Write it all down.
Step 2: Read out loud.
Step 3: Cut the fat.
Step 4: Read out loud.
Step 5: Add flava.

Tyler's first poem takes residence in his heart.
He flings his arms wide
like an open door.
Welcome home!

Some questions to discuss:

• Have you encountered spoken word poetry before? What have you liked or disliked about it?
• How do you define spoken word poetry?
• How is spoken word poetry similar to or different from other forms of poetry developed by oppressed populations?

Some things to try:

• Write a spoken word poem following the steps laid out by Gayle Danley. Feel free to share it with us!
• If you have some extra time, watch another excellent introduction to spoken word poetry at the TED Talk "If I Should Have a Daughter" by Sarah Kay.

Comments

[jjhunter]

This is a wonderful intro! I look forward to revisiting it in greater depth later this week when I have time to watch both vids.

I've seen some Boston area slam poets perform, but have yet to write poetry specifically for performance myself (though pod_together may change that...). There's something about hearing spoken word poetry performed vs hearing poetry written first for reading / viewing on the page being recited that reminds me of the difference between attending a Sunday morning African-American Baptist service &, say, a High Episcopal service.

What a wonderful post to come home to!

[alee_grrl]

I savored this post over dinner after a long day, and it was such a fun thing to read and listen to after work. It sparked some of my own creative energies, which is pretty hard to do after a long day. :)

I love spoken word poetry. I'm not entirely sure where or when my first exposure to this particular style of poetry was. I have long had a fascination with performed poetry, and spent many hours of my childhood reading poetry (my own and others') aloud. There is just something so wonderful fun about the process. I didn't really hear about Poetry Slams until college, and was too intimidated by the thought of performing my work on stage to try it out. But I've since gotten braver about reading my own works aloud in front of others.

I got to see some Jamaican dub poetry performed while I was in Jamaica for the Peace Corps. And I have heard some very powerful poems at QUILTBAG pride festivals and events like Take Back the Night. It was a Take Back the Night event where I first read some of my own poetry. A lot of my poetry is written with some awareness of how it will sound if read aloud, mainly because I think out loud and read things to myself as I write. I try on sounds and rhythms and play with timing.

Learning to speak more slowly, to not let my nerves rush a sentence that did not need to be rushed, was perhaps the hardest part of learning to perform poetry. I have tried to learn from the excellent spoken word poets I've heard, and the examples you shared are perfect examples of excellent spoken word poets. These poets have a wonderful grasp of tone, volume, emphasis, pacing and energy.

I do like it when I can read the poem as well as listen to it, though. I can get caught up in the sound of the poem and miss some of the content. But that does make re-listening a joyous thing as I catch bits I missed the second time around.

[alexconall]

I attempted the spoken-word format. The poem's called "Serenity Prayer", and the words are below:


serenity
courage
wisdom

so prays a man
who thinks if one person
alone
cannot change a thing
it cannot be changed
and must be accepted

we
know better
we know we must act together
but someone must begin

one candle will not light the way
across the red sea at night
but others may light their candles
from that first taper

we march
each with our own light
to shed on the problem

wisdom we need
courage we need
but if we serenely accept
that there are things we cannot change
then these things will never change
to hell with serenity