Poetry Slam
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-- School Library Journal, 6/30/2009
Poetry slam "is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they're saying and how they're saying it" (Poetry Slam, Inc.) And it’s not just for urban kids. As part of their promise to bring more music and art to the White House, the Obamas recently hosted an event that featured James Earl Jones, poet Mayda Del Valle, novelist Michael Chabon, and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda. A poetry slam is the perfect summer activity for your teens, and the titles below will help get you started.
Aptowicz, Cristin O’Keefe. Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam. Soft Skull Press. 2007. pap. $17.95. ISBN: 978-1-933368-82-5.
Gr 8 Up–In this incredibly informative and well-paced work, poet Aptowicz, a founder of the National Poetry Slam Championship, traces the roots and growth of the movement. Peppered with interviews of the stars of slam, teens that aspire to find an outlet for their spoken poetry will find tons of inspiration here. Also recommended for youth services and high school librarians that would like to introduce poetry slams to their teen advisory groups or language arts programming.
High, Linda Oatman. Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip. Bloomsbury. 2004. Tr. $16.95. ISBN: 978-1582349480.
Gr 7-11–Told in slamverse, this novel follows the adventures of Laura Crapper (Sister Slam) and her best friend Twig as they careen their way to Tin Can, NJ, for a poetry slam. On the way, they run into many interesting characters, including a pig. When Sister suddenly becomes the toast of New York City for her poetry, her relationship with Twig suffers, but soon all is back on track.
Anglesey, Zoe (ed.). Listen Up! Spoken Word Poetry. One World. 2008. Tr. $26.00. ISBN: 978-1-4395-6479-0.
Gr 9 Up–Anglesky’s introduction provides valuable background on spoken word poetry and helps set up the work and artists that follow. Nine poets contribute to this collection which shows incredible range in topic areas, cadence, and cultural background. Includes an afterword, glossary, and complete citation list.
Eleveld, Mark. The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip-hop & the Poetry of a New Generation . Edited by Sourcebooks. 2005. pap. $19.95. ISBN: 978-1-4022-0246-9.
Gr 8 Up–With each chapter covering a different area of spoken word art, this title makes for a terrific introduction to the format. Even better, a CD is included that features 20 poets and 46 tracks, a nice representation of the 50 poets represented in the book. Biographies are provided for all contributors, as is an index.
WritersCorps. Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems. Foreword by Nikki Giovanni. Harper Tempest. 2003. pap. $7.00. ISBN: 978-0-613-66791-3.
Gr 8 Up–Disadvantaged youth from three urban areas around the U.S. contributed to this anthology which taps into the pain, joy and uncertainty that is part of every teen’s life. Giovanni’s foreword sets the tone, and young adults looking for inspiration in creating their own poetry will find lots of ideas here.
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