news
Slam Dunk
Photo by Emily Muir.
There may be as many definitions of and terms for spoken-word poetry as there are spoken-word poets. Ask any poet, fan—or detractor—of the broad sub-genre and the answer will vary wildly.
In the broadest terms, spoken-word poetry is a poetic form that utilizes some aspect of performance in its delivery to the audience. A spoken-word poem may originate on the page but it doesn’t stay there for long, coming to life instead through the poet’s unique mode of performance. The genre’s forms and performance styles draw from such diverse sources as traditional poetry, hip hop, dub poetry, performance poetry and art, theatre, stand-up comedy, oral storytelling and sound poetry. A poetry slam draws together spoken-word artists, who perform for the adulation of the crowd and often a monetary reward. The performance aspect of spoken-word is precisely what draws the most criticism from traditionalists who insist that a true poem should transmit its meanings and nuances strictly through the poem’s language, structure and rhetorical tropes.