Spoken Word Blog

Carlos David Garcia recently wrote an article about the relationship between written verse and spoken word. I include an excerpt:

One thing seems fairly certain; there are few poems that I read in literary journals (not to mention the 60-year-old poets who write them) that would find an audience in the “Def” world of fast-paced, performance-driven spoken word. In turn, it doesn’t seem likely that any of the pieces performed on the local open-mic stages would be acclaimed by the Paris Review. Yet, both art forms undoubtedly share a loyal, even if somewhat limited, audience and any art form that stems from the written word whether it is spoken word or even some forms of Hip-Hop are surely a tribute to verse and ultimately traditional poetry.

Read entire article by Carlos David Garcia.

I recommend reading the entire article, because Carlos David Garcia explores the relationship and differences between spoken word. Although I see more of an overlap than he, I agree for the most part with what he says in the article.

What do you think?

In the following video, Angela Kariotis performs at The Art House in Jersy City:

To me, it seemed slightly long for a spoken word poem, but good nonetheless. I like how she can switch back and forth from so many vernaculars.

What do you think?

In the following video, famous artist Jewel performs a spoken word poem on Def Poetry:

I saw it on the first season of Def Poetry. This video isn’t new, but someone just uploaded it to YouTube.

What do you think?

Rachel Abrams reported on spoken word poetry in NYC. I include an excerpt:

Observers say spoken word poetry has become an outlet for many young people to vent their frustrations in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Writers don’t just tell their own stories but use the stage as a vehicle for social commentary.

Kesed Ragin is a 21-year-old poet who has had a lot of experience both performing for and working with other young writers. He’s passionate not only about this art but also its impact on the performers.

“The youth, they all want to be a part of something, they all want to have a voice, they want to say something, they want to stand out,” said Kesed Ragin. “It’s hard growing up in America alone, just wanting to be noticed, and this is a medium for them to get up and say what they have to say. A lot of these youth come from underserved communities and their parents do not even notice them. This is a way for them to get noticed. You got the same youth who do it the other way. They get a spray can and go draw on the wall, whereas these youth, they take out a pen and a pad and they write out their frustrations.”

For some, having a voice goes beyond just being a therapeutic form of expression. Kesed says many young people who have become involved have seen their lives and self-image drastically changed, especially those who may have grown up in underprivileged areas where they lacked educational resources.

Read entire article by Rachel Abrams.

I think she did a good job capturing the value of spoken word as medium for the youth (and other artists) to express themselves, including both learning and teaching.

What do you think?

In the following video, a South African poet performs a poem entitled Never Give Up:

I had trouble understanding everything he said due to his South African accent, so I watched the video repeatedly. Anyway, his message, never give up, holds true globally.

What do you think?

Do you know the name of this poet?

In the following video, Wizdom Selah performs her hip-hop spoken word poem, La Revolucion:

I liked this original poem a lot. I especially enjoyed the way she personified hip-hop. Hip-hop attracts me most of all because of its ability to spread subversive, but positive, messages. For that reason, I liked that this spoken word poem tied hip-hop together with global revolutionism.

What do you think?

We have added some great new features to our free spoken word artists directory.

We’ve split the listings onto multiple pages with 10 listings per page. That makes it easier to view the listings.

We’ve made it so artists can edit their own listing at anytime with a personal password.

Artists can now use the online control panel to add a YouTube video and/or mp3 file to their listing, so that viewers can sample the artist’s work.

Artists can now allow people to use our contact form to contact them from our website. This is great for booking artists and getting booked.

If you want to see any other features added, please tell us.

If you’re a spoken word artist and aren’t yet listed in our spoken word artist directory, you can add yourself using this form. If you already are listed with us, you can edit your entry here with your password.

This is all free. It’s completely free to add yourself to our listing, and it’s completely free to view our listings.

Make sure to tell any spoken word artists that you know about this great opportunity for free exposure.

In the following video, Mr Hovis performs his spoken word poem, Saw Her Again:

Someone recommended this video to me with the contact form on SpokenWordArt.com. I’m not especially interested in love poems, but I liked it. What did you think?

Ashley L. Battle recently wrote an article about the introduction of hip-hop studies into the University of California:

Michael Barnes, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at University of California at Berkeley, founded a hip-hop studies working group on campus as a place for students who are studying hip-hop in other departments to discuss their projects and share information. He is writing his dissertation about authenticity in hip-hop culture, mainly through the lens of DJing.

But as a new and often misunderstood topic, what obstacles will hip-hop face as it is analyzed in the classroom?

One obstacle, said Aya de Leon, who teaches poetry and “spoken word” at University of California at Berkeley, will come “from people who have a more traditional perspective–anything newer or popular or working class or developed by people of color is unworthy of study. Another is that the transitions that it will make into the academy will have a very fragmented relationship with the community it comes from.”

Read entire article by Ashley L. Battle.

I think it helps to have classes available about any topic. Students perform better if they can choose to study subjects that interest them. Additionally, as a major part of modern culture and society, it seems a truly complete education needs to contain some understanding of hip hop.

In the following video, spoken word artist Kavon performs her poem, HIM.

I liked it. I found it interesting. Personally, I don’t recommend venomous kisses.

What did you think?