The cultural politics of slam poetry : race, identity, and the performance of popular verse in America / Susan B.A. Somers-Willett.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Somers-Willett, Susan B. A., 1973-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Performance poetry--United States--History and criticism.

Performance poetry.

American poetry--20th century--History and criticism.

American poetry.

Race in literature.

Identity (Psychology) in literature.

Oral interpretation of poetry.

Poetry slams--United States--History.

Poetry slams.

Poetry--Political aspects--United States.

Poetry.

Poetry--Political aspects.

United States.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

History.

Oral interpretation of poetry.

Physical Description:

xi, 191 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, ©2009.

Summary:

"The cultural phenomenon known as slam poetry was born some twenty years ago in white working-class Chicago barrooms. Since then, the raucous competitions have spread internationally, launching a number of annual tournaments, inspiring a generation of young poets, and spawning a commercial empire in which poetry and hip-hop merge. The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry is the first critical book to take an in-depth look at slam, shedding light on the relationships that slam poets build with their audiences through race and identity performance and revealing how poets come to celebrate (and at times exploit) the politics of difference in American culture. With a special focus on African American poets, Susan B.A. Somers-Willett explores the pros and cons of identity representation in the commercial arena of spoken word poetry and, in doing so, situates slam within a history of verse performance, from blackface minstrelsy to Def Poetry."--Book cover.

Contents:

Slam and the search for poetry's great audience

On page and stage: slam poetry as a genre

Poetry and the people: the cultural tensions of American popular verse in performance

I sing the body authentic: slam poetry and the cultural politics of performing identity

"Commercial niggas like me": spoken word poetry, hip-hop, and the racial politics of going mainstream

Epilogue: "Designs for living"

notes on the future of slam poetry

Appendix

Document 1: The official rules of National poetry slam competition

Document 2: The official National poetry slam "Emcee spiel"

Document 3: The official National poetry slam instructions for judges.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-178) and index.

Local Notes:

The Forrest Performing Arts Collection.

Other Format:

Online version: Somers-Willett, Susan B.A., 1973- Cultural politics of slam poetry.

ISBN:

9780472070596

0472070592

9780472050598

0472050591

OCLC:

306798187