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Performance Poetry New Languages and New Literary Circuits?
Performance Poetry New Languages and New Literary Circuits? Cornelia Gräbner erformance poetry in the Western world festival hall. A poem will be performed differently is a complex field—a diverse art form that if, for example, the poet knows the audience or has developed out of many different tradi- is familiar with their context. Finally, the use of Ptions. Even the term performance poetry can easily public spaces for the poetry performance makes a become misleading and, to some extent, creates strong case for poetry being a public affair. confusion. Anther term that is often applied to A third characteristic is the use of vernacu- such poetic practices is spoken-word poetry. At lars, dialects, and accents. Usually speech that is times, they are included in categories that have marked by any of the three situates the poet within a much wider scope: oral poetry, for example, or, a particular community. Oftentimes, these are in the Spanish-speaking world, polipoesía. In the marginalized communities. By using the accent in following pages, I shall stick with the term perfor- the performance, the poet reaffirms and encour- mance poetry and briefly outline some of its major ages the use of this accent and therefore, of the characteristics. group that uses it. One of the most obvious features of perfor- Finally, performance poems use elements that mance poetry is the poet’s presence on the site of appeal to the oral and the aural, and not exclu- the performance. It is controversial because the sively to the visual. This includes music, rhythm, poet, by enunciating his poem before the very recordings or imitations of nonverbal sounds, eyes of his audience, claims authorship and takes smells, and other perceptions of the senses, often- responsibility for it. -
A Collection Analysis of the African-American Poetry Holdings in the De Grummond Collection Sarah J
SLIS Connecting Volume 2 | Issue 1 Article 9 2013 A Collection Analysis of the African-American Poetry Holdings in the de Grummond Collection Sarah J. Heidelberg Follow this and additional works at: http://aquila.usm.edu/slisconnecting Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Heidelberg, Sarah J. (2013) "A Collection Analysis of the African-American Poetry Holdings in the de Grummond Collection," SLIS Connecting: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 9. DOI: 10.18785/slis.0201.09 Available at: http://aquila.usm.edu/slisconnecting/vol2/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in SLIS Connecting by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Collection Analysis of the African‐American Poetry Holdings in the de Grummond Collection By Sarah J. Heidelberg Master’s Research Project, November 2010 Performance poetry is part of the new black poetry. Readers: Dr. M.J. Norton This includes spoken word and slam. It has been said Dr. Teresa S. Welsh that the introduction of slam poetry to children can “salvage” an almost broken “relationship with poetry” (Boudreau, 2009, 1). This is because slam Introduction poetry makes a poets’ art more palatable for the Poetry is beneficial for both children and adults; senses and draws people to poetry (Jones, 2003, 17). however, many believe it offers more benefit to Even if the poetry that is spoken at these slams is children (Vardell, 2006, 36). The reading of poetry sometimes not as developed or polished as it would correlates with literacy attainment (Maynard, 2005; be hoped (Jones, 2003, 23). -
Word! the African American Oral Tradition and Its Rhetorical Impact on American Popular Culture by Janice D
Word! The African American Oral Tradition and Prior to enslavement in America, Africans its Rhetorical Impact lived in societies developed around a worldview on American Popular Culture that was predicated on highly sophisticated religious By Janice D. Hamlet systems and an impressive oral communication style. The Africans believed in Nommo, which means Popular culture consists of the everyday culture the generative power of the spoken word. Nommo that comprises virtually every aspect of our existence. was believed necessary to actualize life and give Its fonns of expression include music, dance, literature, man mastery over things. "All activities of men and drama, film, poetry, language use, newspapers, radio all the movements in nature rest on the word on the and television, fashion, sports, and leisure activities. ' productive power of the word, which is water and heat Its major components are objects, persons, and events, and seed and Nommo that is, life force itself ... The but it is through the use of verbal and nonverbal force, responsibility, and commitment of the word and symbols that popular culture is constructed and has the the awareness that the word alone alters the world." In potential to persuade, influence, motivate, and inspire. traditional African culture, newborn children are mere We are surrounded every day by these constructs of things until their fathers give them names and speak popular culture. them. No medicine, potion, or magic of any sort is For many years, African Americans were simply considered effective without accompanying words. So objects within popular culture whose representation strong is the African belief in the power and absolute tended to be quite stereotypical and problematic. -
The Mayhem Poets Resource Guide
teacher resource guide schooltime performance series the mayhem poets about the who are in the performance the mayhem poets spotlight Poetry may seem like a rarefied art form to those who Scott Raven An Interview with Mayhem Poets How does your professional training and experience associate it with old books and long dead poets, but this is inform your performances? Raven is a poet, writer, performer, teacher and co-founder Tell us more about your company’s history. far from the truth. Today, there are many artists who are Experience has definitely been our most valuable training. of Mayhem Poets. He has a dual degree in acting and What prompted you to bring Mayhem Poets to the stage? creating poems that are propulsive, energetic, and reflective Having toured and performed as The Mayhem Poets since journalism from Rutgers University and is a member of the Mayhem Poets the touring group spun out of a poetry of current events and issues that are driving discourse. The Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in commercials, plays 2004, we’ve pretty much seen it all at this point. Just as with open mic at Rutgers University in the early-2000s called Mayhem Poets are injecting juice, vibe and jaw-dropping and films, and performed for Fiat, Purina, CNN and anything, with experience and success comes confidence, Verbal Mayhem, started by Scott Raven and Kyle Rapps. rhymes into poetry through their creatively staged The Today Show. He has been published in The New York and with confidence comes comfort and the ability to be They teamed up with two other Verbal Mayhem regulars performances. -
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 ...................................................................................................... -
„Spoken Word Poetry“ Among African-Americans in Baltimore
„Spoken Word Poetry“ among African-Americans in Baltimore A Social-Anthropological Analysis Corinna Letisha Green Arbeitspapiere zur Ethnologie Working Papers in Social Anthropology Institute of Ethnology Number 1 - 2016 Corinna Letisha Green „Spoken Word Poetry“ among African-Americans in Baltimore. A Social- Anthropological Analysis Masterarbeit am Institut für Ethnologie der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster 2015 Betreuung durch Prof. Dr. Josephus Platenkamp ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ ii List of Figures ................................................................................................................ iv Introduction .................................................................................................................... 5 1. Individuality in Spoken Word Poetry ................................................................ 10 Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Duke the Rude ............................................................................................................................................. 14 Najah James ................................................................................................................................................. 20 Love the Poet .............................................................................................................................................. -
Integration of Work and Leisure in the Performance of Spoken Word Poetry in Kenya
Journal of Critical Studies in Language and Literature ISSN: 2732-4605 www.jcsll.gta.org.uk Integration of Work and Leisure in the Performance of Spoken Word Poetry in Kenya Beatrice Jane Ekesa (Corresponding author) Department of Literature, Faculty of Arts, University of Nairobi, Kenya Email: [email protected] Received: 27/06/2020 Accepted: 08/08/2020 Published: 01/09/2020 Volume: 1 Issue: 3 How to cite this paper: Ekesa, B. J. (2020). Integration of Work and Leisure in the Performance of Spoken Word Poetry in Kenya. Journal of Critical Studies in Language and Literature, 1(3), 9-13 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46809/jcsll.v1i3.23 Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and Global Talent Academy Ltd. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract Spoken word poetry, an emerging genre in Kenyan literature, is popular among the urban population. The performance of this creative work draws audience from different socio-economic backgrounds who view it as a source of entertainment. Majority of these poets begin off by staging performances in order to exercise their talents and entertain their audience without financial gain. However, once they get the desired popularity, their interests change and they begin to view the performance of spoken word poetry as an alternative source of income. It is against this background that this paper seeks to explore the relationship between work and leisure in the performance of spoken word poetry in Kenya. Scholars in the field of leisure studies are constantly seeking the relationship between work and leisure. -
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. -
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 -
Skaldic Slam: Performance Poetry in the Norwegian Royal Court
Lokaverkefni til MA–gráðu í Norrænni trú Félagsvísindasvið Skaldic Slam: Performance Poetry in the Norwegian Royal Court Anna Millward Leiðbeinandi: Terry Gunnell Félags- og mannvísindadeild Félagsvísindasvið Háskóla Íslands December 2014 Norrænn trú Félags- og mannvísindadeild 1 Anna Millward MA in Old Nordic Religions: Thesis MA Kennitala: 150690-3749 Winter 2014 DEDICATION AND DISCLAIMER I owe special thanks to Prof. Terry Gunnell for his continued encouragement, help and enthusiasm throughout the process of researching and writing this dissertation. Many of the ideas put forward in this dissertation are borne out of interesting conversations and discussions with Prof. Gunnell, whose own work inspired me to take up this subject in the first place. It is through Prof. Gunnell’s unwavering support that this thesis came into being and, needless to say, any mistakes or errors are mine entirely. Ritgerð þessi er lokaverkefni til MA–gráðu í Norrænni Trú og er óheimilt að afrita ritgerðina á nokkurn hátt nema með leyfi rétthafa. © Anna Millward, 2014 Reykjavík, Ísland 2014 2 Anna Millward MA in Old Nordic Religions: Thesis MA Kennitala: 150690-3749 Winter 2014 CONTENTS Introduction pp. 5-13 Chapter 1. Skálds, Scholar, and the Problem of the Pen 1.1. What is Skaldic Poetry? pp. 14-15 1.2. Form and Function pp. 15-22 1.3. Preservation Context pp. 22-24 1.4. Scholarly Approaches to Skaldic Verse p. 25 1.5. Skaldic Scholarship: post-1970s pp. 26-31 1.6. Early Skaldic Scholarship: pre-1970s pp. 31-36 1.7. Skaldic as Oral Poetry, Oral Poetry as Performance pp. 36-43 1.8. -
Finding the Poetic High: Building a Spoken Word Poetry Community and Culture of Creative, Caring, and Critical Intellectuals
Innovative Practices Finding the Poetic High: Building a Spoken Word Poetry Community and Culture of Creative, Caring, and Critical Intellectuals Gerald T. Reyes Introducing… but don’t let the tears out have to say and all the experiences that because I’m tired of that… their thoughts have been rooted into, then “This next young poet coming to grace we limit their whole being. our stage brings the richness of her As 13-year-old Lydia’s words caressed It is through working with our stu- daily struggles to life through the our spirits, I knew she was doing what dents’ entire being where we unlock the beauty and truth of her words. Show June Jordan once proclaimed: “taking true magic of their growth and learning, your love for our next poet blessing control of the language of our lives” (1995). no matter from where they come. This is mic…ladies and gentlemen, please give Along with the other poets in our learn- the existence where we fi nd the opportu- it up for Poet Lydia Calderon!” ing community, I have never ceased to be amazed with their ownership in language. nity to enable what bell hooks (1994) calls, Underneath dim light of our trans- Whether Latino, African American, Fijian, “transgressions.” This is the “movement formed classroom, the sea of middle school East Indian, Filipino, Chinese, Tongan, or against and beyond boundaries. It is that youth goes wild with cheers and applause. Caucasian, it has always been essential movement which makes education the Lydia spurts up like a splash of water from for me to help guide these diverse young practice of freedom” (hooks, 1994). -
Spoken Word & Poetry for Civil Rights
Spoken Word & Poetry for Civil Rights Maya Angelou: Still I Rise An empowering performance about the struggle to overcome prejudice and injustice. It is one of Maya Angelou's most successful poems. Nikki Giovanni: In The Spirit of Martin Nikki Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution". Leah Green: Change Spoken word artist and student Leah Green’s poem called "Change," about civil rights, equality and American democracy. This poem was written and performed shortly after the inauguration of Barack Obama. Crystal Valentine: "Black Privilege" (strong language) Crystal Valentine is a writer, activist, and educator. A recent graduate of NYU, Crystal is the three-time Grand Slam champion of NYU’s poetry contest. She was also the 2015 NYC youth poet laureate and the 9th ranked woman poet in the world by Way of the Woman of the World Poetry Slam. For more civil rights poetry and spoken word: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/146367/poetry-and-the-civil-rights-movement Songs for Civil Rights Mahalia Jackson: We Shall Overcome This song was made as a protest song, and became a staple song during the Civil Rights Movement. The song derived from a previous gospel song by Charles Albert Tindley. Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit This song is performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who first sang and recorded it in 1939.