The Poetry Slam

POETRY CENTRAL  Volume 4, Number 4      ~The Poetry Slam~

In the winter of 1984, a Chicago poet with a penchant for performance managed to coax a roomful of enthusiasts at the Get Me High Lounge to engage in a new, groundbreaking form of public poetry reading.  There was something different going on here, with the participants gesticulating, pacing back and forth while reciting poems, their strained and often guttural voices cracking and quavering, sometimes whispering and mouthing words, and, in short, bringing down the house with every act.  Marc Smith, the instigator, is credited with initiating poetry slams in America and spawning what has now unfolded into a worldwide craze. 

Performance poetry is certainly not unique.  In fact, it’s hard to imagine Elizabethan poetry in any other light (even though Shakespeare is probably rolling over in his grave trying to screen out the slammers).  Throughout modern literary history, poetry has been recited and recorded into the public record.  With the advent of mass communication, from early tape-recordings, to radio and now the internet, poetry has seen a quantum increase in mass appeal.  However, poetry slamming is an entirely different animal.

One chief aspect of the slam is the contest format.  The poetry slam has turned into a media event, with a full cast of recognizable characters, and the competition to become the best poetry slammer, on any given night, is often fast and furious.

While the rules vary from slam to slam, there are some general aspects that stand out.   Usually, members of the audience are selected to act as judges.  The judge awards numeric scores to the participants.  Often several rounds will be held and finalists chosen based on the highest cumulative score.  A particularly interesting feature of the slam is that most if not all comers are admitted into the competition.  You don’t need to apply beforehand and you don’t need to be published or pre-screened.  If there are more signing up than can be physically accommodated in the time allowed, then, often, a random drawing is made to reduce the participants to a workable number.

Props and costumes are usually outlawed at slams.  Often a three minute time limit is enforced, with over-shooters docked points.  There are many different types of slams including Open Slams (as above), Invitational (self-explanatory), and Theme Slams (the participants must present poems based on a pre-announced theme).

Lately, criticism of poetry slams has come into sharp focus.  Prominent themes at slams are commonly edgy and tend to center on controversial, politically-charged topics (what else is new?).  As well, traditional forms and styles are rarely employed.  Rather, genre poetry (i.e., hip-hop and dub poetry) is more often seen mixed with a good dose of satire, diatribe, and what some consider inappropriate language.  Add to this, inexperienced participants (novice poets, as some call them) and it’s easy to understand the growing hesitancy in some circles to accept this new art form as a credible expression of talent and poetic ability.  In fact, a back-lash response from certain conservative non-literary groups and academicians, as well as established literary critics has recently surfaced. 

Spearheading this vanguard is Harold Bloom, a prominent American professor and literary critic, who has recently come out with a fairly scathing appraisal of slam poetry in the vaunted Paris Review Poetry Journal .  In the article, Bloom called the movement, “The death of art,” and the catchphrase has caught on in other circles.  Bloom had earlier commented in a prologue to the Best of the Best of American Poetry 1988-1997 that the “art of poetry is being debased by politics.”

As with any new art form, there will be proponents and detractors, and with poetry slams, the debate seems to be charging up as sides square off in what appears to be two camps:  the novice poet with a predilection for the performance arts, versus the orthodox canon of poets represented in established poetry circles, universities and poetry journals.  Now, with the advent of YouTube and other online video hosting sites, poet slammers will find an ever-widening forum and vehicle for their exposure, while traditional poetry reading may be found less and less accessible to the average entry-level enthusiast. 

For examples of videos of poetry slams, simply log on to YouTube and type in poetry slam finals or finalists.  A plethora of videos will pop up.  Be selective.  There are some really great ones, but there are also some clunkers.  Caveat emptor!  And please don't hesitate to weigh in here in the comment boxes below.  I'd be very interested to hear your impressions.

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Written by Edward Nudelman, Books Correspondent for POETRY CENTRAL

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