1: Poetry Slam

Slam poetry is a form of performance poetry that occurs within a competitive poetry event, called a "slam", at which poets perform their own poems (or, in rare cases, those of others) that are "judged" on a numeric scale by randomly picked members of the audience.

Critics of Slam poetry say that it is the quality of the performance that often wins the day, irrespective of the quality of the poetry. Its defenders say that this is like saying a poem printed in the finest type on the most exquisite paper will win the Pulitzer Prize. Despite the page/stage debate, several slam poets have gone on to publish popular books, including Patricia Smith (four-time National Poetry Slam champion), Saul Williams, Regie Gibson, Justin Chin, Jeffrey McDaniel, LaTonya Dunaway, Daphne Gottlieb, Beau Sia, Ragan Fox, and Taylor Mali.

In the view of its exponents, the point of Slam is to challenge the authority of anyone who pretends to know absolutely what literary quality is. The poets that embrace Slam poetry seem to wish to give audience members the power to become part of each poem's presence, thus breaking down the barriers between poet/performer, critic and audience. Bob Holman, a poetry activist and former slammaster of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, once called the movement "the democratization of verse." Since only the poets with the best cumulative scores advance to the final round of the night, the structure assures that the audience gets to choose whom they want to hear more from (and conversely, who they think should shut up).

Slam poetry did not rise from Rap and Hip-hop only only later (around 1994) had some degree of connection to rap music, with both styles of expression involving rhythmically delivered phrases. Notable slam poet (as well as actor, activist, rapper and author) Saul Williams has contributed to the blurring of the lines between the two art forms, and many underground hip hop MCs have drawn influence from slam poetry (including Mos Def and Sage Francis, both of whom started performing at poetry slams before successful careers as rappers).

Poetry Slam