Spoken Word Poetry

A figure walks onto a bare stage, stands by a lone microphone and begins to speak. A hush falls over the audience. Words flow from this person effortlessly. A well-constructed poem is spoken like a monologue. This is world of spoken word poetry. I have, in one of my earlier posts, mentioned spoken word poetry and of my favourite spoken words poets, but there is so much more to explore.

Spoken word poetry is a form of word based performance art. Since its inception, the spoken word has been an outlet for people to release their views outside the academic and institutional domains. The spoken word and its most popular offshoot, slam poetry, evolved into a platform to express  views, emotions, life experiences or information to audiences. The views of spoken word artists encompass frank commentary on religion, politics, sex and gender, often taboo subjects in society.

I became interested in spoken word poetry though the works of Sarah Kay and her TEDx performance.  Someone posted her poem “If I should have a daughter” on my Facebook wall and suddenly I was hooked to this world. These poets are truly word-smiths. Crafting sentences into beautiful images.

Sarah Kay is the full-time co-director of Project VOICE along with her long-time friend Phil Kaye (No relation.) Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) celebrates self-expression and encourages people to engage with the world around them by using Spoken Word Poetry as an instrument to better explore their culture, their society, and themselves.

Sarah and Phil’s “When Love Arrives” is one of my all-time favourite poems. (PS Ashliegh and I are writing a response to this poem. Watch this space.) Everyone has expectations about what love will be like. And when love finally arrives, it doesn’t always match those expectations.

I have spent long nights hanging out with my friends, watching spoken word poetry on Youtube. My friends would knock on my door and then end up staying until past midnight watching amazing videos and spoken work performances. I discovered Martin Ingle, A.K.A “Bread and Bullfights, through a response video he made for Sarah Kay entitled  “If I should have a son.”  I love Martin and his poetry, because he is so awkward that he comes off truly sincere.

Poets like Katie Makkia, aren’t afraid to challenge social conventions. This is her poem “Pretty.”