DOCSLIB.ORG

Sha-Clack-Clack” Is Found on the Slamnation DVD

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sha-Clack-Clack” Is Found on the Slamnation DVD “The Best Poet Always Loses”: The Influence of African-American English Discourse Styles on the Slam Poetry of Non-AAE Speaking Performers Heather Sommer, Dr. Erica Benson, Dr. Allyson Loomis Department of English, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire performance register, which would not include African American English features to the speaker's per- Features Identified: Overview formance (i.e., slam poetry) register to include features of African American English. Group-exclusive “n*****”: speakers within the group are ‘allowed’ to use the word to the ex- The audio clips used for this study were found via IndieFeed Performance Poetry podcast; Team clusion of others; the group is defined, with regards to this word, by the fact that “speakers from other * The slam poetry movement is about 30-years old and slam poetry is performed and defined by a Nuyorican’s performance of “Sha-Clack-Clack” is found on the SlamNation DVD. The clips chosen for groups do not use these forms rather than the fact that all members of a particular group use [it]” set of specific rules. inclusion in this study both exemplified diverse features of AAE and were the performances of perform- (Schilling-Estes 172). By no means do all speakers of AAE use “n*****” or its variants in any context. ers whose non-performance register did not generally include the discourse styles prevalent in AAE. * The slam poetry movement has roots in hip-hop and, thus, the Black Oral Tradition. Though many of the works reviewed for this pilot qualitative study demonstrated a few features of AAE, Example Text: these three were chosen that seemed to exemplify discourse features specifically in their performance: Now is the essence of my domain and it contains * This relationship - and the dialect features of AAE - have become a part of the slam aesthetic. all that was and will be [rhythmic pattern] * Taylor Mali’s “Like Totally Whatever” (mimicry, spontaneity) And I am as I was and will be because I am and always will be [rhythmic pattern] * Taylor Mali’s “Like Totally Whatever” exhibits the features of mimicry and spontaneity. that n***a [group-exclusive ‘n*****’] * Beau Sia’s ”A Little Known Truth About Financial Success” (mimicry, braggadocio, rhythmic pat- I am that n***a [group-exclusive ‘n*****’] * Beau Sia’s “A Little Known Truth About Financial Success” exhibits braggadocio and rhythmic terns) I am that n***a [group-exclusive ‘n*****’] features. I am that timeless n***a [group-exclusive ‘n*****’] that swings on pendulums like vines * Beau Sia’s performance of “Sha-Clack-Clack” with Team Nuyorican (group-exclusive ‘n*****’, through mines of booby trapped minds that are enslaved by time * Team Nuyorican’s “Sha-Clack-Clack” exhibits group-exclusive “n*****” and rhythmic features. rhythmic patterns and movements) And again we see the rhythmic performance common to African-American church services, during Abstract which the preacher engages the congregation. It is also this style that necessitates slam poets to create their own beats (no musical accompaniment allowed!) in performances that have a musical quality, In its short 30-year history, slam poetry, a performative art with roots in hip-hop, has been dominated by Results echoing the rhythmic performance and ‘toast’ aspects of AAE found in slam. African-American (and other minority) slammers. Interestingly, despite the primary audience of slams Likewise, in video of this group’s performance, we see another quality of African-American church Taylor Mali’s “Like Totally Whatever”: being middle-class Caucasians (e.g., Somers-Willett 2009) features of African American English and the service: rhythmic movement during portions of the sermon. Though Team Nuyorican acts out portions Black Oral Tradition are commonly used by not only African American English speaking performers but of the poem as an actor would, the truly telling movements are rhythmic and synchronized and not nec- Features Identified: also performers of other ethnicities/dialects. I demonstrate that discourse characteristics common to essarily merely mimicking the text of the poem but adding an element that propogates the engagement Mimicry: “...a deliberate imitation of the speech and mannerisms of someone else [that] may be African-American English and the Black Oral Tradition — spontaneity (improvisational deviation from of the audience with the text, performance, and speakers. used for authenticity, ridicule, or rhetorical effect” (Smitherman 217). a practiced piece), braggadocio (a type of boasting), call and response with rhythmic features typical of Spontaneity: the improvisation of verse - in hip-hop, often called “free-stylin’” (Smitherman African-American church services, and others (e.g., Smitherman 2000; Alim 2008) — are frequently Example Text: 218). used in the slam poetry of non-African-American English speaking performers. In particular, I examine because I am not the son of Sha-Clack-Clack [rhymic movement] work by Taylor Mali (Caucasian) and Beau Sia (Chinese American), in an individual performance and a I am before that, [rhymic movement] Taylor Mali’s performance of “Like Totally Whatever” at the 1996 National Poetry Slam in Portland team performance with New York City's Team Nuyorican. Moreover, I argue that successful slammers I am before [rhymic movement] ... Oregon was immediately preceeded by the performance of “How to be a Teacher” by Dan Ferri. Mali adopt features of African-American English and the Black Oral Tradition to strengthen their perceived uses this to his competitive advantage by using spontaneity and mimicry in his performance, drawing on minority identity for the sake of authenticity (Somers-Willett 2009) and to build on performances imme- like HYAH! HYAH! HYAH! [rhymic movement] Ferri’s performance and adding to his own. An example of the two performance texts follows: diately previous to their own for the sake of competition. Sha-Clack-Clack [rhymic movement] Excerpt (Ferri’s “How To Be a Teacher”): Now. Introduction Now, before you say anything, always say Conclusion ‘Now.’ My interest in the prevalence of dialects in poetry, coupled with the resistance of the slam poetry move- Now, This qualitative study analyzes three video/audio performances of slam poetry by National Poetry Slam ment to cave to the standards imposed on so-called “academic” verse led me to explore not only the After you say anything always say participants. While a sample size of three performances seems small and a larger sample size is needed already-established relationship between hip-hop and the slam movement, but also the influence of ‘Okay?’ for a bigger-picture analysis of AAE discourse features in the slam poetry movement, this study presents African-American English discourse styles on this artform. I demonstrate that discourse characteristics Okay? three examples as a jumping-off point for future studies. common in African-American English and the Black Oral Tradition are used in slam poetry, even among AAE discourse features found to be present in the three performances include: spontaneity and mim- non-AAE speaking performers. Excerpt (Mali’s “Like Totally Whatever”): icry (’free-stylin’) in Taylor Mali’s “Like Totally Whatever”; ‘toasting’ tempo, braggadocio, rhythmic Now, [spontaneity, mimicry] performance, and mimicry in Beau Sia’s “A Little Known Truth About Financial Success”; and use of A Brief History of the Slam Poetry Movement I’m a teacher, [spontaneity] Taylor Mali, photo courtesy of SlamNation. group-exclusive ‘n*****’ and rhythmic performance/movement in Team Nuyorican’s “Sha-Clack- Okay? [spontaneity, mimicry] Clack.” Aptowicz suggests that three very important 20th century arts movements play a pressing role in the evolution of slam poetry: the Harlem Renaissance, the Beat Generation, and hip-hop. The Harlem Re- Beau Sia’s “A Little Known Truth About Financial Success”: naissance, being the true basis and binding-glue of this triad of oral tradition, “begat jazz poetry, which was embraced and promulgated by the Beats. Jazz poetry later begat free-styling, which in turn became Features Identified: one of the foundations of hip-hop” (Aptowicz 5). Braggadocio: exaggerated speech elevating the social status or abilities of the artist “to convey The poetry slam was founded by Marc Smith in Chicago, Illinois, on July 25, 1986 at the Green the image of an omnipotent fearless being, capable of doing the undoable” (Smitherman 222). Works Cited Mill. Smith “believed that poetry should reflect the core of one’s being, that it was a raw part of human- ity, and that a poet had to be both fearless and dogged to tackle it properly” (Aptowicz 35). Sia’s performance also draws on the Black Oral Tradition, giving a a perfomance that imitates a typical Aptowicz, Cristin O’Keefe. Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City rhythmic pattern used in church services that is particular to the ‘toast’ or the “narrative tale[s] of bad Poetry Slam. New York: Soft Skull, 2008. n*****s and they exploits” (Smitherman 64). In ‘toasting,’ the “speaker’s voice still has that rhythmic, Sia, Beau. “A Little Known Truth About Financial Success.” GoogleDocs. 10 July 2009. musical quality, just with a faster tempo,” which Sia keeps up throughout his performance of this piece <http://www.mrpelz.com/ ...>. (Smitherman 65). Like Mali, Sia also ends his piece with mimicry, drawing on the music of the Beatles (”Can’t Buy SlamNation: The Sport of the Spoken Word. Dir. Paul Devlin. Perf. Taylor Mali, Beau Sia, Saul Williams, et al. Me Love”) and imitating the sentiment echoed in movies with similar titles (80’s ”Can’t Buy Me Love” 1998. DVD. New Video Group, 2005. being an obvious example). SlamCast. SlamNation. 02 April 2010. <www.slamnation.com/ images/people/>. Excerpt: Smitherman, Geneva. “How I Got Ovuh’: African World View and African American Oral Tradition.” Talkin’ That when i get the money, [braggadocio] i’m gonna throw my weight around, [mimicry] Talk: Language, Culture, and Education in African America.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • News Release
    News Release Office of Cultural Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Michael Ogilvie, Director of Public Art, City of San José Office of Cultural Affairs (408) 793-4338; [email protected] Elisabeth Handler, Public Information Manager Office of Economic Development (408 535-8168); [email protected] San José Student Poetry Contest Supporting a Creative Response to Litter SAN JOSE, Calif., (Oct. 15, 2018) The City of San José’s Public Art Program and Environmental Service Department are collaborating with Mighty Mike McGee, current Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County, on a new initiative titled “Litter-ature,” a creative response to litter awareness and prevention through a student poetry contest. Outreach support is also being provided by San José Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services’ Anti-Litter Program. Middle school and high school students in the City of San José are invited to submit up to five short poems that inspire people to put their trash into public litter cans, protecting nature, wildlife, and our streets. Content may inspire awareness, personal responsibility, connections to community and environmental responsibility. The contest will be juried by professional poets and community members who will select the winning poems that will become permanent artwork affixed to 500 new public litter cans to be installed in San José business districts in 2019. In addition to the winning poems being creatively featured on the litter cans, prizes will be awarded to honorable mentions. Submissions will be accepted on line at the contest website: www.litter-ature.info. Young poets are encouraged to work with short form poetry, such as haiku and/or tanka, a form similar to a haiku, with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable count.
    [Show full text]
  • Poetry in August @ the Cantab Lounge Bostonpoetryslam On: Facebook * Yahoo! * Tumblr
    Poetry in August @ the Cantab Lounge bostonpoetryslam on: Facebook * Yahoo! * tumblr. http://www.bostonpoetryslam.com Wednesday, August 6 — With all of New England’s slam teams, coaches, and entourage out of town at the National Poetry Slam, our bartender will step onto the stage to present the Adam Stone Anti-Slam. Adam has promised to present a feature of his excellent poetry, prose, and in-between work… That is, unless he can convince some other old-school all-star poets who are also skipping out on NPS to show up and produce a show with him. Or against him. Or at him. Or whatever: all he knows is that it won’t be a slam, but it will definitely be the ONLY poetry place to be if you aren’t trekking to Oakland to watch NPS this week. Final open slam in the 8x8 series. Wednesday, August 13 — Jacob Rakovan is an Appalachian writer in diaspora. He is the author of The Devil’s Radio (Small Doggies Press, 2013) He is a 2011 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Poetry and recipient of a 2013 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He is co-curator of the Poetry & Pie Night reading series in upstate New York, where he resides with his five children and a mermaid. Champion of Champions poetry slam: Ellyn Touchette defends her title. Wednesday, August 20 — Tova Charles and Zai Sadler are The Hair and Teeth and Talk Tour, showcasing group and solo work from these two women who worked together on the fifth-place 2013 Austin Poetry Slam team.
    [Show full text]
  • POETS HATING POETRY Can’T Anyone Give Poetry a Break? by Ryan Stuart Lowe
    Spring | Summer 2017 OKLAHOMA HUMANITIES Culture | Issues | Ideas dLearning to love like not hate poetry 2017—A Year of New Initiatives At Oklahoma Humanities, the will explore this challenging period in year 2017 begins with continued our nation’s history. Concurrent with the ANN THOMPSON commitment to serving the public magazine and local programming will Executive Director through inspired and inspiring cultural be the September debut of an 18-hour, experiences. In addition to successful NEH-funded Ken Burns documentary programs like Museum on Main Street; on PBS called The Vietnam War. Our Let’s Talk About it, Oklahoma; Oklahoma objective in focusing on the Vietnam era Humanities magazine; and, of course, is to remind those of us who remember our grants program; we’re working on the war to think critically of lessons special initiatives that we’re proud to learned (and not learned) from the war, bring to our state. and to inform younger generations of First, through a partnership with the challenging issues of that period the Ralph Ellison Foundation, we are that continue to impact our national sponsoring a series of public meetings identity—the civil rights movement, on race relations in Oklahoma. Using the the changing roles of women, student texts of one of Oklahoma’s most esteemed writers and favorite sons, the Foundation activism, how we treat veterans, and the will encourage community conversations roles of music, literature, television, and to foster greater understanding and to the media in forming American opinion. promote the common good. This year promises to be meaningful Second is a multi-faceted look at the and rich in opportunities and, as always, Vietnam era.
    [Show full text]
  • A Teacher's Resource Guide for the Mayhem Poets
    A Teacher’s Resource Guide for The Mayhem Poets Slam in the Schools Thursday, January 28 10 a.m. Schwab Auditorium Presented by The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State The school-time matinees are supported, in part, by McQuaide Blasko Busing Subsidy in part by the Honey & Bill Jaffe Endowment for Audience Development The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts provides season support 1 Table of Contents Welcome to the Center for the Performing Arts presentation of The Mayhem Poets ................................ 3 Pre-performance Activity: Role of the Audience .......................................................................................... 4 Best Practices for Audience Members ...................................................................................................... 4 About the Mayhem Poets ............................................................................................................................. 5 Slam poetry--the competitive art of performance poetry ............................................................................ 7 Slam Poetry--Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................................................... 8 Slam Poetry Philosophies ........................................................................................................................ 16 Taken from the website http://www.slampapi.com/new_site/background/philosophies.htm. .......... 16 Suggested Activity: Poetic Perspective ......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Marquis Burton
    Marquis Burton 12 Middlebury Lane, Lancaster, NY 14086 | 716.998.2234 | [email protected] Teaching Experience___________________________________________________________________ ​ Teaching Artist Sweet Home High School | Guest Poetry Instructor | November 2006 - Present North Park Academy Afterschool Program | December 2017 – March 2018 PS 197 and Say Yes Buffalo | February 2017 – June 2017 Gloria J. Parks Community Center | January 2017 – April 2017 Community Action Organization | Teaching Artist | October 2010 – May 2011 Lake Shore High School | Instructor | April 2010 · Collaborate with host organizations to develop and implement poetry and performance workshops for elementary, middle & high school students · Provide instruction and development in style; cultivating unique voices and enhancing self-confidence · Equip students with performance skills and tools to present original work for an audience · Give students the tools to host and manage their own final showcase Pure Ink Poetry Slam | Coach | April 2016 - Present · Lead team to their first Semi-finals and the highest ranking of any previous Buffalo spoken word team · Held weekly workshops and practices to improve both content and presentation UB Speaks | Co-Founder / Coach / Instructor | 2014 – 2016 · Provided critiques to small groups of writers; developing style, voice, and performance · Held individual mentoring sessions with poets to master content and style Shea’s Performing Arts Center | Instructor | 2010 · Partnered with Shea’s Education Department and local English
    [Show full text]
  • Pw Ar07.Qxd:Layout 1
    annual report 2006-2007 INTRODUCTION Last year, our signature Readings/Workshops program continued its nationwide expansion, made possible by our successful capital campaign in 2006, which enabled us to establish an endowment to bring the program to six new cities. In 2007, we began supporting writers participating in literary events in Washington, D.C. and in Houston. In Washington, D.C., we funded events taking place at venues, including Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, Edmund Burke High School, and Busboys & Poets. We also partnered with Arte Publico Press, Nuestra Palabra, and Literal magazine to bring writers to audiences in Houston. In addition to the cities noted above, our Readings/Workshops program supports writers and organizations throughout New York State and California, and in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and Seattle. Last year, we provided $215,050 to 732 writers participating in 1,745 events. Poets & Writers Magazine celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and offered a number of helpful special sections, including a collection of articles on the increasingly popular MFA degree in creative writing. The magazine also took a look at writers conferences, including old favorites like Bread Loaf and Yaddo, as well as some newer destinations—the Macondo Workshop for Latino writers and Soul Mountain for African American writers. We also offered “The Indie Initiative,” our annual feature on small presses looking for new work, and “Big Six,” a snapshot of the country’s largest publishers of literary books. Our Information Services staff continued to provide trustworthy and personalized answers to hundreds of writers’ questions on topics ranging from vanity presses to literary agents.
    [Show full text]
  • Art, Identity, and Status in UK Poetry Slam
    Oral Tradition, 23/2 (2008): 201-217 (Re)presenting Ourselves: Art, Identity, and Status in U.K. Poetry Slam Helen Gregory Introducing Poetry Slam Poetry slam is a movement, a philosophy, a form, a genre, a game, a community, an educational device, a career path, and a gimmick. It is a multi-faced creature that means many different things to many different people. At its simplest, slam is an oral poetry competition in which poets are expected to perform their own work in front of an audience. They are then scored on the quality of their writing and performance by judges who are typically randomly selected members of the audience. The story of slam reaches across more than two decades and thousands of miles. In 1986, at the helm of “The Chicago Poetry Ensemble,” Marc Smith organized the first official poetry slam at the Green Mill in Chicago under the name of the Uptown Poetry Slam (Heintz 2006; Smith 2004). This weekly event still continues today and the Uptown Poetry Slam has become a place of pilgrimage for slam poets from across the United States and indeed the world. While it parallels poetry in remaining a somewhat marginal activity, slam has arguably become the most successful poetry movement of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Its popularity is greatest in its home country, where the annual National Poetry Slam (NPS) can attract audiences in the thousands and where it has spawned shows on television and on Broadway. Beyond this, slam has spread across the globe to countries as geographically and culturally diverse as Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Poland, and the U.K.
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract One Love: Collective Consciousness in Rap and Poetry
    Abstract One Love: Collective Consciousness in Rap and Poetry of the Hip-Hop Generation by Austin Harold Hart April, 2012 Thesis Director: John Hoppenthaler Major Department: English (Literature and Poetry) This study aims to offer an understanding of hip-hop culture through which three concepts are elucidated: (1) the existence and dimensions of a collective consciousness within rap and poetry of the hip-hop generation (Allison Joseph, A. Van Jordan, Terrance Hayes, Major Jackson, Taylor Mali, and Kevin Coval); (2) a poetics of rap—to parallel the influence seen/suggested among the selected poets; and (3) an analysis of the manner(s) in which the poetry of these more serious, academic artists reflects an influence of hip-hop culture. My thesis suggests that these poets are indeed influenced by the culture in which they grew up, and in their verse, this influence can be seen through linguistic playfulness, sonic density, layered meaning and usage through form and content, and the connection to a larger cultural, collective consciousness fed by specific social bodies. Poetic analysis, as well as studies of vernacular and oral traditions, has allowed me to explore these concepts and theories from a wider spectrum, and with regard to the work of the poets, an original perspective. Providing a deeper understanding of artists, their identities, places, and dreams within their work, this study begins to offer some insight into notions of the ways in which individuals might participate in cultural conservation. One Love: Collective Consciousness
    [Show full text]
  • Many “Toolkits” Are Comprised of Compartmentalized Do-It-Yourself Contents
    Many “toolkits” are comprised of compartmentalized do-it-yourself contents. Young Chicago Authors’ toolbox takes a participatory and immersive approach with LOUDER our resources. Here, collaboration and engagement bring materials to life as we co- create workshops, professional development opportunities, and the festival locally with students, teachers, educators, activists, THAN organizers, and poets. Through an interactive three-phase process— “Getting Ready to Get Ready”, “Getting Ready”, and “Ready”—our stakeholders will A participate in cyclical methods of planning, taking action, observing, evaluating, and critical reflection prior to moving to the next phase. The contents in our toolbox are dynamic and involve direct sharing which BOMB is mutually beneficial to both YCA and our partners. TOOLBOX Let’s build together! 1180 N. Milwaukee Ave. 2nd Floor Chicago, IL 60642 773.486.4331 [email protected] 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION LTAB Philosophy 6 - 7 Getting ReadY TO GET ReadY Check the Viewpoint by Kevin Coval 8 - 14 Walking and Asking: Towards Praxis in 15 - 25 Youth Spoken Word Poetry by Anna West Critical Reflection Part I 26 - 27 Next Steps 28 Action Steps 29 - 34 Getting Ready to Get Ready Checklist 35 LTAB Methodology 37 - 39 Getting ReadY Next Steps Part I 40 Organizing Tulsa by Kent Martin 41 - 45 Critical Reflection Part II 46 - 47 Next Steps Part II 48 Action Steps 49 - 55 Getting Ready Checklist 56 LTAB Pedagogy 58 - 59 readY Next Steps Part I 60 Teaching Chicago by Peter Kahn 61 - 63 Critical Reflection
    [Show full text]
  • Text Production Oral Presentation Spoken Word Performance Text Production Oral
    Text Production Oral Presentation Spoken Word Performance Text Production Oral Purpose To provide you with the opportunity to: Demonstrate and understanding of the interplay between what authors present in texts and the experiences, ideas, values, and beliefs of readers. Demonstrate and use language skills and techniques to create personal, persuasive texts that address the meaning and intention of the task. Description of assessment The aim the task is to convey your thoughts on a topic of particular personal interest; this can be small or large. Words and stories have the power to effect people and in a spoken word piece the speaker is emotionally involved with their material and as a result presents in a very personal and powerful way. Persuasive language aims to manipulate the audience into accepting a particular point of view or prompt them to react in a particular way; the approach to the subject is often subjective. Create and present a Spoken Word Performance on a topic negotiated with me. A key part of this piece will be how you present – the way you use your voice as a tool. You may support your oral with a multimedia presentation if you wish; this could be PowerPoint, video, www.voicethread.com or some other form. Assessment conditions An oral presentation up to a maximum of 6 minutes. Please hand up a recording (audio or video), transcript of your presentation and the PowerPoint thumbnails/Voicethread etc link if used. Some guidelines Begin with an opening/line/image/introduction which grabs the reader, sets the tone, or strongly conveys your point of view.
    [Show full text]
  • 2019 AWP Conference Schedule
    2019 AWP Conference Schedule Wednesday, March 27, 2019 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm Books, Booze, Boogie: A Welcome Poetry & Dance Party! NM Bodecker Foundation, 2360 NW Quimby St, Portland, OR 97210 Cost: Free: Must register! Url: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/books-booze-boogie-a-welcome-poetry-dance-party-tickets-58018909119 Join authors from Write Bloody Publishing and University of Hell Press at the fabulous NM Bodecker Creative Foundation on Wednesday, March 27, for a celebration of books, (a bit) of booze, and (a lot) of boogie. Eight authors will share short, powerful selections of their work; all participants will dance dance dance the (early) night away. 6:30 p.m: Doors open! 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m: Reading begins! 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m: Fast and furious dance party! Free! but must RSVP via Eventbrite to reserve your coveted spot for this exclusively rad event. Limited to the first 100 guests! Thursday, March 28, 2019 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm R198. Page Meets Stage D137-138, Oregon Convention Center, Level 1 ( Taylor Mali, Mark Doty, Anis Mojgani, Shayla Lawson, Seema Reza) Where does poetry live? Where does it breathe? And what makes it dance? This reading will answer those questions insufficiently but entertainingly. Modeled after the popular 14-year-old series at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City, four poets who occupy different places on the continuum from page to stage—from the National Book Award to the National Poetry Slam—read "popcorn style," with no set order and sometimes not even a set list in an ongoing poetic conversation.
    [Show full text]
  • Slam Poetry: Ambivalence, Gender, and Black Authenticity in Slam
    Text, Practice, Performance III (2001): 37-63 37 Slam Poetry: Ambivalence, Gender, and Black Authenticity in‘Slam1 Susan B.A. Somers-Willett One of the things that struck me when I came out of the construction worker mode into the poetry scene was the falseness of a lot of the work because it had nothing to do with what everyday people do. — Marc Smith, originator of the poetry slam, Slamnation You will not hear highbrow poetic structure over here I do not proscribe to nor do I give a fuck about iambic pentameter I laugh at the alphabetical order of the Shakespearean sonnet A sestina? Is a bitch I used to date I write what I feel and I spit what I know I am the rose bloomed fresh in the midst of ghetto con- fusion I am ghetto angst personified I am a street poet — from “Street Poet” by GNO Poetry slams, competitive versions of local poetry readings, have emerged in the late 20th century as a literary-performative genre of protest and celebration. Although its roots are traced by poets from troubadours, griots, and the “dozens” (Algarín 1994:16), its 20th-century predecessors and most immediate influences include the Beat Movement, the Black Arts Movement, jazz, early rap, and hip- hop. The poetry slam as we know it today originated in the mid- 1980’s as the brainchild of Marc Smith, a Chicago poet and ex- 38 Text, Practice, Performance construction worker who wanted to liven up local poetry readings. Today, poetry slams are held not only in urban centers like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but also in areas as distant as Sweden and the U.K.
    [Show full text]