Slam Poetry Essay - 880 Words

In the early 1980s, Slam Poetry caught flight in small coffee shops in Austin, Texas., New York City, New York., Chicago, Illinois., Seattle, Washington., and San Francisco, California during slots of open mic which invite an artist of any kind: poet, narrators, musicians, and comedians of all types to share their art (Power Poetry). Years later as Slam Poetry got more recognition and spread to more areas around the country. The first Poetry Slam was originated by a man named Marc Kelly Smith. Marc Kelly defines Slam Poetry as a performance incorporated with the poetry, but a less stiff form of poetry. Spoken word poetry which is more commonly known as Slam is a more fluid art than written poetry in the twenty-first century due to the†¦show more content†¦After reading at the Get Me High Lounge for many poetry nights which he hosted, Marc Smith thought of a way to make poetry less dry and boring, a way to spice up the readings and bring entertainment to the words which becam e Slam Poetry (Boudreau). Marc is known for saying that he wanted to give the poetry back to the people, back to the audience instead of it belonging to academics like it had been in the times before. The word Slam was used for this performance poetry because as Marc explained it in an interview with Olivier Vanderra at BlaQ Socrates and Sapient Soul Furman University, In America, Slam means either something very, very good or something very, very bad. And I was uh, I had to come up with a name for the show real[ly] quick I was thinking of Grand Slam/home run and I was also thinking of Slamming the door on somebody so- The name really quite compliments the art because during the performance of Slam you can hear, see, and feel each emotion with the performer. The audience feels the weight of bewilderedness, fright, or anger with the performer or feels each excited, hopeful, or beautiful moment shared through the poem whichever emotion comes, if the performer did well, you should feel like the emotion slammed into you (Vanderra). A rush of feelings that should be the only thing you can focus on because the performance- ifShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Gloria s Speech As A Letter988 Wor ds   |  4 Pagestrue to your culture. She pulls pieces from her own life experiences and works from other looked over women writers of color to make her point and connect to her audience letting them know she is part of their plight to be heard. 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