2. SPOKEN WORDS
Is a poetic performance art that is
word-based.
It is an oral art that focuses on the
aesthetics of word play such as
intonation and voice inflection.
It is a ‘’catchall’’ term that includes
any kind of poetry recited aloud,
including poetry readings, poetry
slams, jazz poetry, and hip hop, and
can include comedy routines and
prose monologues.
3. Although spoken word can include
any kind of poetry read aloud, it is
different from written poetry in that
how id sounds is often one of the main
components.
Unlike written poetry, it has less to do
with physical on the page aesthetics
and more to do with phonaesthetics or
the aesthetics of sound.
4. “history”
Spoken words has existed for many years.
Long before writing, through a cycle of
practicing, listening and memorizing, each
language drew on its resources of sound
structure for aural pattern that made
spoken poetry very different from ordinary
discourse and easier to commit to memory
There were poets long before there were
printing presses, poetry is primarily oral
utterance, to be said aloud, to be heard.
5. Poetry, like music, appeals to
the ears, an effect known as
euphony or onomatopoeia, a
device to represent a thing or
action by a word that imitates
sound.
Euphony –pleasing or sweet sound;
The acoustic effect produced by words so formed or combined as to please the
ear.
A harmonious succession of words having a pleasing sound.
Onomatopoeia- the naming of a thing or action by vocal imitation of the sound
associated with it (such as buzz, hiss)
6. The oral tradition is one that is
conveyed primarily by speech
as opposed to writing in
predominantly oral cultures
proverbs(also known as
maxims) are convenient
vehicles for conveying simple
beliefs and cultural attitudes.
7. The hearing knowledge we bring
to a line of poetry is a knowledge
of a pattern of speech we have
known since we were infants.
Performance poetry, which is
kindred to performance art, is
explicitly written to be performed
aloud and consciously shuns the
written form.
8. Performance poetry in Africa dates to
prehistorical times with the creation of
hunting poetry, wile elegiac and
panegyric court poetry were
developed extensively throughout the
history of the empire of the Nile, Niger
and Volta river valley.
One of the best known griot epic
poems was created for the founder of
the Mali Empire, the Epic of Sundiata.
9. In African culture, performance poetry
is part of theatrics, which was present
in all aspects of pre-colonial African life
and whose theatrical ceremonies had
many different functions: political,
educative, spiritual and entertainment.
Poetic were an element of theatrical
performances of local oral artist,
linguists, and historians, accompanied
by local instruments of the people
such as the kora, the xalam, the
mimbra, and the djembe drum.
10. In ancient Greece, the spoken word
was the most trusted repository for the
best of their thought, and inducements
would be offered to men (such as
rhapsodes) who set themselves the
task of developing minds capable of
retaining and voices capable of
communicating the treasures of their
culture.
The Ancient Greek included Greek
lyric, which is similar to spoken-word
poetry, in their Olympic Games.
11. Vachel Lindsay – helped maintain the
tradition of poetry as spoken art in the
early twentieth century
Robert Frost – also spoke well, his meter
accommodating his natural sentence.
Poet laureate Robert Pinsky said
“poetry’s proper culmination is to be read
aloud by someone’s voice, whoever reads
a poem aloud becomes the proper
medium for the poem.
12. Some American spoken word poetry
originated from the poetry of the Harlem
Renaissance, blues, and the Beat
Generation of 1960s.
Spoken word in African-American culture
drew on a rich literary and musical
heritage.
Langston Hughes and writers of the
Harlem Renaissance were inspired by the
feelings of the blues and spirituals, hip hop
and slam poetry artist were inspired by
poets such as Hughes in their word
styling's.
13. The Civil Rights Movement also
influenced spoken words. Notable
speeches such as Martin Luther King’s
I have a dream
Sojourner Truth’s
Ain’t I a Woman
And Booker T. Washington’s
Cast Down Your Buckets
Incorporated element of oration that
influenced the spoken word movement
within the African-American community.
14. Spoken word poetry entered
into wider American culture
following the release of Gil
Scott-Heron’s spoken-word
poem
The Revolution Will Not Be
Televised
On the album Small talk at
125th and Lenox in 1970.
15. The Nuyorican Poets
Café on the New York’s
Lower Eastside was
founded in 1973, and is
the oldest American
venues for presenting
spoken-word poetry.
16. In the 1980s, spoken-word
poetry competitions, often with
elimination rounds, emerge
and were labelled poetry slam.
American poet Marc Smith is
credited with starting the poetry
slam in November 1984.
17. COMPETITIONS
SPOKEN-WORD POETRY is often performed in
a competitive setting. In 1990 the first National
Poetry Slam was held in San Francisco.
It is the largest poetry slam competition event in
the world, now held each year indifferent cities
across the United States.
The popularity of slam poetry has resulted in
slam poetry competitions being held across the
world, at venues ranging from coffeehouses to
larges stages.
18. MOVEMENT
SPOKEN-WORD POETRY is typically more than
a hobby or expression of talent.
This art form is often used to convey important or
controversial messages to society. Such
messages often including raising awareness of
topic such as:
Racial inequality
Sexual assault
Rape culture
Anti-bullying message
Body positive campaigns
LGBTQ
19. 5 TIPS ON SPOKEN WORD
Spoken word is written on a page but performed
for an audience. It relies on a heavy use of rhythm,
improvisation, rhymes, word play, and slang.
Spoken Word is a writing that meant to be read out
loud. When writing a spoken word piece use word
and phrases that project onto the minds of the
listeners like vivid images, sound, actions and
other sensations.
If your poem is rich with imagery, your listeners will
see, smell, feel and maybe even taste what you’re
telling them.
20. 1.Choose a subject and have
attitude
No attitude, no poem! Feeling
and opinions give poetry its
“richness.” each poet has a
unique perspective and view
of the world that no one else
has.
21. 2. Pick your poetic devices
Poem that get attention are
ones that incorporate
simple, but powerful poetic
element.
Repetition is a device that can help a writer generate exciting
poems with just repeating a key phrases or image.
Rhyming can enrich your diction and performance
22. 3. Performance
Spoken word poems are written to be r poem is written,
practice performing the poem with the element of good
stage presence in mind.
Eye contact- don’t stare at the floor, or hide behind a
piece of paper/phone.
Projection – is also crucial, so remember to speak
loudly and clearly so that your voice can be heard from
distance.
Enunciation- help the listeners to hear exactly what you
say, don’t mumble. Speak clearly and distinctly so that
the audience can understand what you are saying.
Facial Expressions- help animate your poem. You’re
not a statue: smile if you’re reading something happy.
Gesture- such as hand motions and body movement
emphasize different elements of your performance.
23. 4. Memorization
Once you’ve memorize your
spoken word piece, you can
devote more time to your
performance.
Memorization allows you to be
truly in touch with the meaning
and emotional content of your
poem.
