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The Spoken Word Revolution (Slam, Hip Hop & The Poetry of a New Generation)

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Introduction by Billy Collins, U.S. Poet Laureate, Edited by Mark Eleveld, Advised by Marc Smith, Sourcebooks, Inc. The Ivory Tower versus The Green Mill, the Halls of Academia versus “The Balls of Misdemeania”, the Golden Bough versus the Dirty Down, Pomp versus Circumstance, Substance versus Show. There are as many ways to pit written word against spoken word, as there are ways to characterize and differentiate between them. What this book is able to do is make the two forms complement each other. It builds a bridge, creates an alliance. The format is key: it’s a combination of written expositions of the art and poems, on the page, presented with a CD recording of actual spoken word performances – the two forms, written and oral, are to be experienced concomitantly. It starts out promising  "We’re about to take you off the road you expected to be on when you heard the word “poetry”. Sandburg, Kerouc, Whitman, and Millay were all radicals in their early days. They outraged the status quo. The poets you’ll experience in this book and audio CD travel the same track. The Spoken Word Revolution is a continuation and rebirth of the oral tradition in our country, and in countries around the world, where the power of poetry performed out loud compels an audience to listen." The book not only delivers on that promise but then some. Picture that you are given a non-tedious tour of the roots of the spoken word revolution. Picture that you are educated while simultaneously being entertained, regarding Beat, Hip Hop, Performance Art, Competitive Poetry/Taos, and Slam. Picture that your inner reading voice is a child being read to by its mother, a member of its tribe listening raptly to a storyteller, quiet for a change that lets you not hear yourself think. You’ve pictured it right. The oral tradition of poetry goes back to our earliest roots. And while the whole poetry competition thing looks new to our modern eyes, in fact poetry competitions have ancient antecedents too. Some of the oldest evidence of poetry competitions includes: Delos (7th  - 8th century B.C.). The youth of Delos would compete in music, song, dance and pantomime competitions and the prize was a silver or gold plate. Japan (9th Century B.C.). In the old Japanese court, “Uta-awase” were poetry competitions, contests before judges between two sides or individuals on agreed-upon topics. The earliest competitions were somewhat casual entertainments, but gradually these matches became quite serious, with topics (often taken from imperial anthologies) set in advance and an appeals process in place for protesting the decisions of judges.  Wales (12th century) at stated intervals, great festivals were held, at which the most famous Celtic bards from various districts met and contended in song, the umpires being generally the princes and nobles. Even after the conquest of Wales, these congresses, or Eisteddfodau, as they were called (from the Welsh eistecl,d, to sit), continued to be summoned by royal commission. [Aside: The Dodge Festival – albeit without competitions – comes to mind here, the biennial four-day poetry event in Waterloo Village, New Jersey, that attracts more than ten thousand people each year.] What is new and modern about slam (besides the nifty name which has punch and lends itself easily to sloganization, I think, therefore I slam) is the democratization of the competition. Anyone has the chance to get up and slam – they do not have to be part of an elite, specially educated class. And this is a good thing, this revival of spoken word competition – this modern Marc Smith non-gentrification of spoken poetry competition. This is a very good thing. This book will make you want to find the closest approximation to the Green Mill near you and do a live reading. And you can do just that. Whether you are interested in a quiet supportive exchange of ideas in a small group (This type of poetry reading is usually to be found at your local Barnes & Noble – call the store nearest you for details) or a “live at the Apollo”, in your face, grueling-Green-Mill, hit me with your best shot because I’m hitting back kind of event (a good place to look for slam events is, Poetry Slam,  which lists poetry events, not just throughout the United States, but Worldwide). Highly recommended reading within a highly recommended book? Poet Laureate, Billy Collin’s Poems on the Page, Poems in the Air, Saul William’s The Future of Language, Poetic Pugilism, by Terry Jacobus, About Slam Poetry, by its founder, Marc “So What” Smith, and every single poem by Jeffrey McDaniel, every single poem by Beau Sia. And as an aside, while I’m talking about this topic it makes me also think of rap and am I the only “page poet” who has admired the poetry (yes I said poetry) and philosophizing of Eminem? Am I the only “page poet” to enjoy Fifty Cent’s use of similes (I love you like a fat kid loves cake) and Christina Aguilera’s rhymes? Be prepared for your ears to get fat with all the goodies in store for you, lean in a little closer and gobble up The Spoken Word Revolution. Beg, borrow or steal – or hey, even better, go out and BUY this composite for yourself ($24.95) and see what I mean. Available through the Publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410 Or visit their website.

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Copyright © 2003 Annette Marie Hyder

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If you would like to see a poetry book reviewed here, contact: Annette Marie Hyder