Spoken word and slam poetry are one of the most popular forms of literature today and also routinely explore social monstrosity in one way or another. So I thought this might be an interesting post to do. It has a few steps. Here they are:
Step One: Watch the following spoken word pieces.
1. The first is “Pursuit of Happyness” by Ed Marbrey. Mabrey, an Emmy-nominee and current co-champion of the Individual World Poetry Slam, vigorously recounts an eye-opening interaction with a homeless man at a Subway restaurant that prompts self-reflection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwRphYeVraA
2. The second piece is “OCD” by Neil Hilborn. Neil Hilborn is an American slam poet who writes and performs poetry. His poems often detail personal experiences and battles with mental illness. He is best known for his poem “OCD”, which has received 75 million views online. Hilborn tours to perform his poetry at colleges and other venues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnKZ4pdSU-s
3) The third piece is by Danez Smith — “Today.” Danez Smith was born St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of Boy (YesYes Books, 2014), winner of the Lambda Literary Award, and the chapbook hands on ya knees (Penmanship Books, 2013). He is probably one of the world’s top three most celebrated writers right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn0HrhNGnT0
Step Two: Answer this question:
Do you think these pieces are poetry? Why or why not?
Step Three: Finally, also in your post share a spoken word piece that you find, at a site like this com/user/ButtonPoetry“>https://www.youtube.com/user/ButtonPoetry or an online list like this https://blog.ted.com/10-spoken-word-performances-folded-like-lyrical-origami/ or
https://lindsayannlearning.com/40-engaging-slam-poems-secondary-ela/
or any other place that occurs to you.
Name the piece, provide a link, and say a word or two about why you dug it and whether or not it engages with any form of monstrosity.
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