Performance
and Slam Poetry
Poetry Writing
Quick Recall
Homework Check
What is Performance and Slam Poetry?
Practice Writing
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Today's Agenda
Performance and Slam
Poetry
What is
Performance and Slam Poetry?
The Nelson Atkins Museum of Arts defines it as the following:
Spoken word poetry is poetry that is written on a page but performed for an audience. Because it is performed, this poetry tends to demonstrate a heavy use of rhythm, improvisation, free association, rhymes, rich poetic phrases, word play and slang. It is more aggressive and “in your face” than more traditional forms of poetry.
"During the 1980s, performance [and slam] poetry became the term for describing poetry written or composed for performance rather than print distribution.
Hip-hop and rap poetry are two contemporary extensions of the performance poetry movement. In these forms, too, words and the sounds of the words convey feeling and intensity not possible if not performed."
- Creative Writing Demystified
by Sheila Bender
"Performance poetry practitioners believe in person-to-person transmission through in-person and broadcast performances. They see themselves as keeping the oral tradition alive in an age where broadcast technology surpasses books in reaching mass audiences.
They believe that poetry created
for performance has the most in
common with the original art than
written poetry, because written
verse evolved to make use of
books, journals, and newspapers
as printing and mass distribution
evolved."
I Wanna Hear a Poem by
Steve
Coleman
I wanna hear a poem
I wanna learn something I didn’t know
I wanna say "yes" at the end, because I'm sick of saying "so?"
I wanna hear a poem about who you are And what you think
And why you slam
Not a poem about me and my poem Because I know who I am
I wanna hear a love poem A sad poem
An "I hate my dad" poem A dream poem
An "I'm not what I seem" poem An "I need" poem
An "I also bleed" poem An "I'm alone" poem
An "I can't find my home" poem I just wanna hear a poem
page 1
I Wanna Hear a Poem by
Steve
Coleman
I wanna hear a poem about revolution About fists raised high
And hips twisting in a rumble like a rumba I wanna follow the footsteps of Chè
And hear the truth about the day the CIA killed Lumumba I wanna hear a poem about struggle
So that when I open my mouth, I can step outside myself I wanna listen to no less than the sounds of protest
In the factories where workers sweat and make Air Jordans and Pro-Keds because If you wanna take shots at people
Target Phil Knight and Bill Gates Contemplate how
They own the products And they got the goods
How they act like they care But they're just Robin Hoods page 2
II wanna hear a poem where ideas kiss similes so deeply that metaphors get jealous
Where the subject matters so much that adjectives start holding pro-noun rallies at city hall Because I wanna hear a poem that attacks the status quo
That attracts the claps of the cats with the fattest flows That makes the crowd pass the hat
And pack my cap with a stack of dough
I wanna hear a poem that makes this audience yell “Hoooo!”
Because I wanna guess your favorite color Then craft rhyme schemes out of thin air
I wanna hear a poem about why the statute of limitations for rape is only five years I wanna hear a poem
I wanna feel a poem I wanna taste a poem
Give me your spot on the mic if you wanna waste a poem I wanna
Hear a Poem
page 3 (Steve Colman – https://genius.com/Steve-colman-i-wanna-hear-a-poem-lyrics
Totally like whatever, you know?
In case you hadn’t noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you’re talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you’re saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)’s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren’t, like, questions? You know?
Declarative sentences—so- ‐called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true, okay, as opposed to other things are, like, totally, you know, not—
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don’t think I’m uncool just because I’ve noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It’s like what I’ve heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I’m just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?
page 1
Totally like whatever, you know?
What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . . I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we’ve just gotten to the point where it’s just, like . . . whatever!
And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we’ve become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!
page 2
I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you, I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.
page 3
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=totally+like+whatever+you+know&docid=608044803917242434&mid=CB14DEA7958A2 F4A82D3CB14DEA7958A2F4A82D3&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
Other Slam and Performance Poetry: teacheroffduty.com/20-slam-poems-you-can-use-in- your-classroom-tomorrow/
Australian Poetry Slam Champion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3C-DO9FyEo
Totally like
whatever,
you know?
How to Write a Performance and Slam Poetry
by penlighten.com
Choose a good topic. The topic you choose to is one that you should deeply feel about.
Be clear about the point you are trying to make. When you choose a topic, you should be well aware about it, and should know exactly what you are trying to say through this poem.
Write down these points before you try to put them in verse.
Let the rhythm flow. Once the points have been compiled, it’s time to put them in verse and give the words a flow from one point to another.
Start writing in basic English. You don’t have to force yourself to write heavy poetic words as soon as you write the first draft of your poem.
Replace basic with more hard-hitting terms. This is where the metaphorical nature of poetry will do you good. For instance, ‘lack of action’ can be rephrased as ‘nothing stirs these still waters’. Using such phrases adds depth to your poetry.
Add emotion to your poem. Are you pleading for action or are you angry for the lack of it?
Are you distressed by current affairs or wish to emphasize the need of the hour by eliciting a sense of urgency? With the right words will come the right emotions.
Read it out for yourself. Assume you are a member of the audience and read out the poem aloud. Does it stir you? Do you feel affected by it? Is it making the point clear to you? If you think you aren’t confident enough and that your personal opinion could color your response to these questions, ask a friend to listen to the poem and give you an honest opinion. Only then will you be able to decide whether the poem needs re-working to be improved.
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