Poetry Slams: A Journey into Oral Tradition
Urgent Language
Poetry Slams in
the Writing Classroom
A Poetry Taxonomy
A Poetry Taxonomy
•
The
The
P
P
ersonal
ersonal
P
P
oem
oem
(
(
T
T
he
he
M
M
oaner
oaner
)
)
–
“
I
”
-
c
entered
;
r
ealistic
,
e
veryday
s
ettings
;
o
ften
e
xplores
r
elationships
&
e
motional
d
isorders
o
f
v
arious
k
inds
;
m
ay
b
e
c
onfessional
;
m
ay
b
e
n
arrative
.
D
esire
t
o
e
x-press
,
b
ut
m
ay
a
lso
b
e
i
nward-looking
.
•
The
The
V
V
isionary
isionary
P
P
oem
oem
(
(
T
T
he
he
M
M
ad
ad
S
S
eer
eer
o
o
r
r
V
V
isionary
isionary
)
)
—
Poet
as
divinator
;
person
with
special
insight
or
vision
into
what
others
can’t
see
;
able
to
tap
faculties
of
the
psyche
which
are
not
conscious
or
rational
.
Poetry
as
rare
and
extraordinary
experience
.
•
The
The
F
F
ormalist
ormalist
P
P
oem
oem
(
(
T
T
he
he
M
M
aker
aker
o
o
r
r
C
C
raftsperson
raftsperson
)
)
—
Poet
as
shaper
of
language
;
brings
order
to
the
chaos
of
language
;
“
sculpts
”
words
into
beautiful
,
enduring
objects
for
our
contemplation
.
May
write
exclusively
in
traditional
verse
forms
.
•
The
The
S
S
poken-Word
poken-Word
P
P
oem
oem
(
(
T
T
he
he
W
W
andering
andering
M
M
instrel
instrel
;
;
B
B
ard
ard
)
)
—
Poet
as
one
of
the
people
;
the
public
singer
who
brings
poetry
to
the
fields
and
streets
;
poet
of
the
community
;
tends
to
be
outward-looking
.
Poetry
as
sound
.
S
S
p
p
o
o
k
k
e
e
n
n
W
W
o
o
r
r
d
d
P
P
o
o
e
e
t
t
r
r
y
y
T
h
e
O
r
a
l
T
r
a
d
i
t
i
o
n
T
h
e
s
o
u
n
d
o
f
t
h
e
b
e
l
c
h
’
d
w
o
r
d
s
o
f
m
y
v
o
i
c
e
,
w
o
r
d
s
l
o
o
s
’
d
t
o
t
h
e
e
d
d
i
e
s
o
f
t
h
e
w
i
n
d
…
I
a
m
t
h
e
m
a
t
e
a
n
d
c
o
m
p
a
n
i
o
n
o
f
p
e
o
p
l
e
,
a
l
l
j
u
s
t
a
s
i
m
m
o
r
t
a
l
a
n
d
f
a
t
h
o
m
l
e
s
s
a
s
m
y
s
e
l
f
…
I
n
a
l
l
p
e
o
p
l
e
I
s
e
e
m
y
s
e
l
f
—
n
o
n
e
m
o
r
e
,
a
n
d
n
o
t
o
n
e
a
b
a
r
l
e
y
c
o
r
n
l
e
s
s
…
A
c
a
l
l
i
n
t
h
e
m
i
d
s
t
o
f
t
h
e
c
r
o
w
d
;
M
y
o
w
n
v
o
i
c
e
,
o
r
o
t
u
n
d
,
s
w
e
e
p
i
n
g
,
a
n
d
f
i
n
a
l
.
M
y
v
o
i
c
e
g
o
e
s
a
f
t
e
r
w
h
a
t
m
y
e
y
e
s
c
a
n
n
o
t
r
e
a
c
h
;
W
i
t
h
t
h
e
t
w
i
r
l
o
f
m
y
t
o
n
g
u
e
I
e
n
c
o
m
p
a
s
s
w
o
r
l
d
s
,
a
n
d
v
o
l
u
m
e
s
o
f
w
o
r
l
d
s
.
The oral tradition in English
is
really
old, but still alive:
•
H
o
m
e
r
6
0
0
B
C
•
O
l
d
E
n
g
l
i
s
h
p
o
e
t
r
y
7
0
0
-
1
0
6
6
•
T
h
e
B
e
a
t
s
1
9
5
0
s
•
S
l
a
m
P
o
e
t
r
y
1
9
8
0
s
t
o
p
r
e
s
e
n
t
•
Ongoing efforts to keep the
oral tradition
alive
H
e
y
,
D
a
d
d
y
-
o
•
Medieval folk songs
•
Serbo-Croatian
guslar
s
•
African “talking drums”
‘Epic of Gilgamesh’
Sumer 200 BC
The Bard
…
writes in
the spoken-word or oral mode
.
This
poet is the public wordsmith, the troubadour, the
performer who takes poetry to the streets.
The
spoken-word poem is meant to be heard (as
opposed to read on the page), and may sometimes
include elements of theater and/or musical
performance, or even stand-up comedy.
The term bard is defined in the Oxford English
Dictionary as “the early versifying minstrels or
poets of other nations”, and originated from ancient
Celtic orders of poets whose duties were to think of
and perform spoken word poems (Bard n.1).
T
h
e
B
e
a
t
P
o
e
t
s
o
f
M
i
d
-
C
e
n
t
u
r
y
T
h
e
b
o
h
e
m
i
a
n
c
o
f
f
e
e
-
h
o
u
s
e
a
n
d
j
a
z
z
s
c
e
n
e
D
i
s
s
a
t
i
s
f
a
c
t
i
o
n
w
i
t
h
“
c
l
a
s
s
r
o
o
m
p
o
e
t
r
y
”
o
r
a
c
a
d
e
m
i
c
a
p
p
r
o
a
c
h
e
s
t
o
p
o
e
t
r
y
.
T
h
e
b
e
a
t
p
o
e
t
s
t
a
k
e
t
h
e
i
r
c
u
e
s
f
r
o
m
F
a
t
h
e
r
W
a
l
t
!
I
I
n
n
c
c
r
r
e
e
a
a
s
s
i
i
n
n
g
g
a
a
l
l
i
i
e
e
n
n
a
a
t
t
i
i
o
o
n
n
b
b
e
e
t
t
w
w
e
e
e
e
n
n
p
p
a
a
r
r
e
e
n
n
t
t
s
s
a
a
n
n
d
d
c
c
h
h
i
i
l
l
d
d
r
r
e
e
n
n
;
;
u
u
n
n
e
e
a
a
s
s
e
e
w
w
i
i
t
t
h
h
A
A
m
m
e
e
r
r
i
i
c
c
a
a
n
n
D
D
r
r
e
e
a
a
m
m
,
,
a
a
t
t
o
o
m
m
i
i
c
c
a
a
g
g
e
e
And then there were
slams.
Another SUB-SET of the spoken-word
mode is the slam mode. The slam
poem came about in the 1980s in a
coffee house in Chicago and was
meant to free poetry from the
classroom and re-energize it. It
tends to be performed in rowdy
contests and continues to this day
at local and national levels.
How do poetry
slams work?
P
o
e
t
r
y
s
l
a
m
.
c
o
m
A
B
r
i
e
f
G
u
i
d
e
t
o
P
o
e
t
r
y
S
l
a
m
s
Check out
these
sites to
learn
about
slams!
www.nuyorican.org/
www.poetryslam.com/
AND
C
h
a
r
a
c
t
e
r
i
s
t
i
c
s
o
f
t
h
i
s
t
r
a
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
n
d
m
o
d
e
?
•
Expansive
•
Inclusive
•
Lends itself to PROJECTION; that is, to being
spoken loudly on a stage or outside or in a large
group
•
May be theatrical
•
Communal; tends to celebrate the community, the
whole, or public concerns
•
And of course…IT’S FLIPPING FUN AND CAN
SOUND REALLY GOOD.
1.
B
l
u
r
r
i
n
g
t
h
e
l
i
n
e
b
e
t
w
e
e
n
p
o
e
t
r
y
a
n
d
t
h
e
a
t
e
r
;
p
e
r
f
o
r
m
a
n
c
e
s
a
r
e
l
i
k
e
o
n
e
-
p
e
r
s
o
n
,
o
n
e
-
a
c
t
p
l
a
y
s
.
2.
A
g
g
r
e
s
s
i
v
e
,
c
l
e
v
e
r
,
s
o
m
e
t
i
m
e
s
f
u
n
n
y
r
h
y
m
e
,
n
o
t
i
n
a
n
y
s
t
r
i
c
t
p
a
t
t
e
r
n
(
t
r
i
p
l
e
r
h
y
m
e
s
,
i
n
t
e
r
n
a
l
r
h
y
m
e
s
,
s
l
a
n
t
r
h
y
m
e
s
,
r
e
p
e
a
t
e
d
w
o
r
d
s
,
e
t
c
.
I
n
v
i
d
e
o
,
“
L
a
z
a
r
u
s
,
L
a
z
i
e
,
L
a
z
y
”
)
.
3.
P
r
o
j
e
c
t
i
o
n
!
L
o
u
d
b
r
o
a
d
c
a
s
t
.
4.
N
u
m
b
e
r
o
f
u
n
s
t
r
e
s
s
e
d
s
y
l
l
a
b
l
e
s
d
o
n
’
t
m
a
t
t
e
r
,
m
a
y
b
e
.
S
u
c
c
e
s
s
d
e
p
e
n
d
s
o
n
h
o
w
c
l
e
v
e
r
l
y
y
o
u
g
e
t
t
h
e
f
o
u
r
s
t
r
e
s
s
e
s
i
n
(
r
a
p
)
.
5.
G
e
t
t
i
n
g
i
n
t
o
a
g
r
o
o
v
e
.
6.
M
e
m
o
r
i
z
i
n
g
t
h
e
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l
a
d
d
s
i
n
t
e
r
e
s
t
a
n
d
c
r
e
d
.
7.
M
i
x
i
n
g
g
e
n
r
e
s
:
i
n
s
e
r
t
s
i
n
g
i
n
g
,
u
s
e
a
c
c
o
m
p
a
n
y
i
n
g
s
o
u
n
d
,
e
t
c
.
8.
R
i
t
u
a
l
p
r
e
s
e
n
c
e
o
f
p
e
r
f
o
r
m
e
r
.
benefits in the
writing classroom
Formalist
Formalist
A
n
y
W
r
i
t
i
n
g
C
o
u
r
s
e
Readily
available
on
web as written and
performed texts
For practicing and
studying
expository
mode
s
Easy to
grade!!!!!!!!!
For studying
varieties of
English
Springboard for
discussion of
social issues
For studying
and practicing
argument
As literary and
social
genre
For studying and practicing
rhetorical
analysis
P
r
o
v
i
d
e
s
o
p
p
o
r
t
u
n
i
t
i
e
s
t
o
e
x
p
l
o
r
e
t
h
e
p
h
y
s
i
c
a
l
i
t
y
o
f
l
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
;
l
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
a
s
s
e
n
s
o
r
y
e
x
p
e
r
i
e
n
c
e
.
T
h
e
b
o
d
y
i
n
t
h
e
c
l
a
s
s
r
o
o
m
.
•
A
u
n
i
t
o
n
t
h
i
s
c
a
n
i
n
c
l
u
d
e
e
a
s
i
l
y
f
o
u
n
d
a
d
s
w
h
i
c
h
e
x
p
l
o
i
t
l
i
t
e
r
a
r
y
d
e
v
i
c
e
s
i
n
t
h
e
“
a
t
t
e
n
t
i
o
n
g
r
o
u
n
d
w
a
r
s
”
•
C
a
n
a
l
s
o
i
n
c
l
u
d
e
r
e
a
d
i
l
y
a
v
a
i
l
a
b
l
e
p
o
l
i
t
i
c
a
l
s
p
e
e
c
h
e
s
,
s
l
o
g
a
n
s
,
s
o
u
n
d
b
i
t
e
s
,
e
t
c
.
C
o
m
p
e
l
l
i
n
g
(
e
n
g
a
g
i
n
g
t
o
m
o
s
t
s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s
)
a
n
d
p
r
o
v
o
c
a
t
i
v
e
(
e
n
a
b
l
e
s
e
n
e
r
g
e
t
i
c
d
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
o
n
)
.
M
a
y
t
u
r
n
s
t
u
d
e
n
t
s
o
n
t
o
l
i
t
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
.
A
m
u
l
t
i
-
c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l
u
r
b
a
n
p
h
e
n
o
m
e
n
o
n
.
E
n
t
r
y
w
a
y
t
o
d
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
o
n
s
o
f
d
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
.
And...
and good for possible
discussions of
Craft
N
o
t
d
i
s
c
u
s
s
e
d
m
u
c
h
i
n
c
o
m
p
s
t
u
d
i
e
s
(
t
o
m
y
k
n
o
w
l
e
d
g
e
)
,
t
h
o
u
g
h
t
h
i
s
m
a
y
b
e
c
h
a
n
g
i
n
g
(
e
.
g
.
D
o
u
g
l
a
s
H
e
s
s
,
“
T
h
e
P
l
a
c
e
o
f
C
r
e
a
t
i
v
e
W
r
i
t
i
n
g
i
n
C
o
m
p
o
s
i
t
i
o
n
S
t
u
d
i
e
s
”
)
samples
Saul
Saul
Williams
Williams
What do you notice?
What’s the guy doing?
Gymnastic Rhyme and Wordplay
Energy
Hyperbole Metaphor Allusion
Pastiche
Pathos
YouTube, “Amethyst Rocks, 2:11
A
A
v
v
a
a
r
r
i
i
e
e
t
t
y
y
o
o
f
f
q
q
u
u
a
a
l
l
i
i
t
t
i
i
e
e
s
s
a
a
n
n
d
d
p
p
o
o
e
e
t
t
i
i
c
c
-
-
r
r
h
h
e
e
t
t
o
o
r
r
i
i
c
c
a
a
l
l
d
d
e
e
v
v
i
i
c
c
e
e
s
s
A
n
a
p
h
o
r
a
Physicality
of language
•
A weakness: repeated reference to “them” and
“they”: externalizes evil--no reflection on
personal culpability or participation in evil =
somewhat weak ethos, credibility
•
May antagonize rather than persuade; limited
audience
•
Message fuzzed or fudged at times in verbal
wackiness
•
Craft neglected here and there; e.g., lack of
modulation
Kattie Makkai
•
Compelling personal anecdote
•
Strong appeal to pathos
•
Theatrical use of voice and tone
•
Elements of parody
•
Nice example of critical thinking—i.e.,
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gender
PRETTY!
PRETTY!
YouTube, “Pretty,” 2:11
Taylor Mali
•
Parody (mocking his subject makes
the subject’s rhetoric visible)
•
Personal anecdote
•
Pathos
•
Persona
YouTube, “How to Write a Political Poem,” 3:28
Jeffrey McDaniel
•
Personae; dramatic mode
•
Classification as expository mode
•
Relatively clear and punchy figurative
speech
Spoken Word Revolution CD, “The Foxhole Manifesto,” 2:11 (or YouTube, 5:00)
Dylan Garity
•
Personal anecdote
•
Pathos—as well as relatively heavy
emphasis on logos
•
Good for discussions of rhetorical
situation. Compelling and timely social
issue|
YouTube, “Rigged Game,” 3:19
Button Poetry Books
Viral
Rachel Rostad
Lily Myers
Common Hazards of the
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Poets who demonstrate closer
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self-examination
Annotated bib
forthcoming!
...maybe.
Delve into the world of poetry slams, a vibrant space where spoken-word poets express emotions, share insights, and celebrate the oral tradition of poetic performance. Discover different poetic styles like the Personal Poem, Visionary Poem, Formalist Poem, and Spoken-Word Poem, each offering a unique perspective on human experiences and creativity. Explore the rich history of the oral tradition in English, from medieval folk songs to modern Slam Poetry movements, keeping alive the art of storytelling through spoken word.
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Presentation Transcript
Urgent Language Urgent Language Poetry Slams in the Writing Classroom
A Poetry Taxonomy The Personal Poem (The Moaner) I -centered; realistic, everyday settings; often explores relationships & emotional disorders of various kinds; may be confessional; may be narrative. Desire to ex-press, but may also be inward-looking. The Visionary Poem (The Mad Seer or Visionary) Poet as divinator; person with special insight or vision into what others can t see; able to tap faculties of the psyche which are not conscious or rational. Poetry as rare and extraordinary experience. The Formalist Poem (The Maker or Craftsperson) Poet as shaper of language; brings order to the chaos of language; sculpts words into beautiful, enduring objects for our contemplation. May write exclusively in traditional verse forms. The Spoken-Word Poem (The Wandering Minstrel; Bard) Poet as one of the people; the public singer who brings poetry to the fields and streets; poet of the community; tends to be outward-looking. Poetry as sound.
The sound of the belchd words of my voice, words loosd to the eddies of the wind In all people I see myself none more, and not one a barleycorn less A call in the midst of the crowd; My own voice, orotund, sweeping, and final. Spoken Word Poetry The Oral Tradition My voice goes after what my eyes cannot reach; With the twirl of my tongue I encompass worlds, and volumes of worlds. I am the mate and companion of people, all just as immortal and fathomless as myself
The oral tradition in English is really old, but still alive: Homer 600 BC Old English poetry 700-1066 The Beats 1950s Slam Poetry 1980s to present Ongoing efforts to keep the oral tradition alive Hey, Daddy-o Medieval folk songs Serbo-Croatian guslars African talking drums Epic of Gilgamesh Sumer 200 BC
The Bard writes in the spoken-word or oral mode. This poet is the public wordsmith, the troubadour, the performer who takes poetry to the streets. The spoken-word poem is meant to be heard (as opposed to read on the page), and may sometimes include elements of theater and/or musical performance, or even stand-up comedy. The term bard is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as the early versifying minstrels or poets of other nations , and originated from ancient Celtic orders of poets whose duties were to think of and perform spoken word poems (Bard n.1).
And then there were slams. Another SUB-SET of the spoken-word mode is the slam mode. The slam poem came about in the 1980s in a coffee house in Chicago and was meant to free poetry from the classroom and re-energize it. It tends to be performed in rowdy contests and continues to this day at local and national levels.
How do poetry slams work? Poetryslam.com A Brief Guide to Poetry Slams
Check out these sites to learn about slams! www.nuyorican.org/ AND www.poetryslam.com/
Characteristics of this tradition and mode? Expansive Inclusive Lends itself to PROJECTION; that is, to being spoken loudly on a stage or outside or in a large group May be theatrical Communal; tends to celebrate the community, the whole, or public concerns And of course IT S FLIPPING FUN AND CAN SOUND REALLY GOOD.
1. Blurring the line between poetry and theater; performances are like one-person, one-act plays. 2. Aggressive, clever, sometimes funny rhyme, not in any strict pattern (triple rhymes, internal rhymes, slant rhymes, repeated words, etc. In video, Lazarus, Lazie, Lazy ). 3. Projection! Loud broadcast. 4. Number of unstressed syllables don t matter, maybe. Success depends on how cleverly you get the four stresses in (rap). 5. Getting into a groove. 6. Memorizing the material adds interest and cred. 7. Mixing genres: insert singing, use accompanying sound, etc. 8. Ritual presence of performer.
benefits in the writing classroom
Provides opportunities to explore the physicality of language; language as sensory experience. The body in the classroom. A unit on this can include easily found ads which exploit literary devices in the attention ground wars Can also include readily available political speeches, slogans, sound bites, etc. Compelling ( engaging to most students) and provocative (enables energetic discussion). May turn students on to literature. A multi-cultural urban phenomenon. Entryway to discussions of diversity.
and good for possible discussions of Craft Not discussed much in comp studies (to my knowledge), though this may be changing (e.g. Douglas Hess, The Place of Creative Writing in Composition Studies )
Gymnastic Rhyme and Wordplay Energy Hyperbole Metaphor Allusion Pastiche Pathos Anaphora Saul Physicality of language Williams What do you notice? What s the guy doing? YouTube, Amethyst Rocks, 2:11
Kattie Makkai Compelling personal anecdote Strong appeal to pathos Theatrical use of voice and tone Elements of parody Nice example of critical thinking i.e., interrogating social norms, discussions of genderPRETTY! PRETTY! YouTube, Pretty, 2:11
Taylor Mali Parody (mocking his subject makes the subject s rhetoric visible) Personal anecdote Pathos Persona YouTube, How to Write a Political Poem, 3:28
Jeffrey McDaniel Personae; dramatic mode Classification as expository mode Relatively clear and punchy figurative speech Spoken Word Revolution CD, The Foxhole Manifesto, 2:11 (or YouTube, 5:00)
Dylan Garity Personal anecdote Pathos as well as relatively heavy emphasis on logos Good for discussions of rhetorical situation. Compelling and timely social issue| YouTube, Rigged Game, 3:19
Button Poetry Books Viral Rachel Rostad Lily Myers
Common Hazards of the Slam Poem as Mode of Argument Often relies excessively on pathos and personal experience for support Sometimes reduces the complexity of experience to black and white categories Often relies excessively on catharsis as chief effect Preaches to the choir Precludes the relatively quiet and complex acts of intensive reflection and analysis (these acts don t lend themselves to loud theatrics in large public venues)
Hazards as Poetry Doesn t the contest format make it into a game of winners and losers, precisely what a democratic approach to poetry SHOULDN T be? The physical performance can obscure the fact that the poem per se sucks. Banalities, cliches, etc. The performance can overpower attention to words, language. Sometimes quiet, written poems are insanely powerful as well as completely original. The slam, at worst, just promotes yelling and histrionics. It quickly became as conventional as anything else readers doing predictable political material in a predictable voice and style.
Poets who demonstrate closer analysis and intense self-examination LISA LEWIS TONY HOAGLAND
Annotated bib forthcoming! ...maybe.
