You will find that most of these poems sound almost like battle calls. These are slam poems, they are usually about social justice. Poets use their words to explain how they feel about all issues, political or not. Here are just a few:
"Explaining My Depression to My Mother" by Sabrina Benaim. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqu4ezLQEUA
"When the Fat Girl Get Skinny" by Blythe Baird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Tb_bZZDv0
"The Nutritionist" by Andrea Gibson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfY4ePGIuMM
"Open Letter to the Last Person I Will Ever Love" by Carrie Rudzinsky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoVpCGE6S-k
"Terrorism" by Carrie Rudzinsky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzFn75hIIYg
"Manic Pixie Dream Girl" by Olivia Gatwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJjJfE_QNMY
"Fantastic Breasts and Where to Find Them" by Brenna Twohy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzFn75hIIYg
"7 Politically Correct Cat Calls as Told by A Poet" by Natalie Choi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaZJ0BtzCvc
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
The differences
In this blog I will be focusing on slam and spoken word poetry, but in order to analyze these types of poetry one must first understand what separates them from each other and form on-the-page poetry.
First we will start with on-the-page poetry:
This genre of poetry is what most people think of when they think of poetry. It is classic Robert Frost and Edgar Allen Poe stuff, the poems your english teacher made you read in high school. While this form of literature is valid and requires hard work and talent, it is not what this blog will be focusing on. On-the-page poetry is written to, as the title says, live on the page. It is typically taught in classes because it is easy to analyze. You can look at it and hold in your hand. But poetry can be so much more than calligraphy and two paths in a yellow wood.
Next lets talk about spoken word poetry:
The line between spoken word and slam is often blurred. Spoken word is meant to sound beautiful. It usually contains long eloquent metaphors and elaborate word choice. Spoken word is suppose to be comforting. It is softer, quieter even.
And finally we have slam poetry:
Slam poetry is what we will mostly be talking about on this blog. Slam poetry is often politically charged, it almost always has a message or a point to get across. Slam poetry tends to be loud, raw, and sometimes even uncomfortable. There is no censorship. Poets unleash everything, often screaming into the microphone. Slam poetry is more than just words, it's a battle cry, it's a revolution.
First we will start with on-the-page poetry:
This genre of poetry is what most people think of when they think of poetry. It is classic Robert Frost and Edgar Allen Poe stuff, the poems your english teacher made you read in high school. While this form of literature is valid and requires hard work and talent, it is not what this blog will be focusing on. On-the-page poetry is written to, as the title says, live on the page. It is typically taught in classes because it is easy to analyze. You can look at it and hold in your hand. But poetry can be so much more than calligraphy and two paths in a yellow wood.
Next lets talk about spoken word poetry:
The line between spoken word and slam is often blurred. Spoken word is meant to sound beautiful. It usually contains long eloquent metaphors and elaborate word choice. Spoken word is suppose to be comforting. It is softer, quieter even.
And finally we have slam poetry:
Slam poetry is what we will mostly be talking about on this blog. Slam poetry is often politically charged, it almost always has a message or a point to get across. Slam poetry tends to be loud, raw, and sometimes even uncomfortable. There is no censorship. Poets unleash everything, often screaming into the microphone. Slam poetry is more than just words, it's a battle cry, it's a revolution.
Friday, September 8, 2017
Hello !
This blog is for poetry that wasn't meant to live on the page.
Hello and welcome to the world of spoken word poetry. A magical place where everyone is welcome and loved.
My name is Rowan Plinsky and I am a freshman at Washburn University, I am studying mass media and journalism, but my true love is poetry.
I was born and raised in Lawrence Kansas and attended Lawrence Free State high school. There I was a founding member of Lawrence Free Poetry, the spoken word and slam poetry team. With them I competed in the Kansas City division of Louder Than A Bomb, the largest youth poetry slam in the nation. Then this summer the team and I traveled to San Francisco for Brave New Voices, which is an international festival/ slam.
On this blog you will get a glimpse into the poetry world. I will share my favorite poems, post writing prompts and tips, and feature interviews and articles from both local and famous poets.
Please feel free to add comments or questions, I would love to hear feedback from you all.
Much love,
-Row
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