The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry: Race, Identity, and the Performance of Popular Verse in America
by Susan Somers-Willett
University of Michigan Press, 2010 Paper: 978-0-472-05059-8 | eISBN: 978-0-472-02708-8 | Cloth: 978-0-472-07059-6 Library of Congress Classification PN4151.S67 2009 Dewey Decimal Classification 808.545
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
How do slam poets and their audiences reflect the politics of difference?
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Susan B. A. Somers-Willett is a decade-long veteran of slam and teaches creative writing and poetics as an Assistant Professor of English at Montclair State University. She is the author of two books of poetry, Quiver and Roam.
REVIEWS
“Anyone looking for an introduction to slam poetry will find Somers-Willett to be a knowledgeable, clear-headed guide. The book is scholarly, but its interdisciplinary approach makes it appropriate for non-specialists and undergraduate students alike. (I will definitely be assigning portions of this work the next time I teach slam poetry).... If Somers-Willett is right about the important cultural stakes of this poetry—and I wholeheartedly believe that she is—then literary scholars need to begin addressing these and other difficult questions. We need to bring slam poetry into our classrooms, our critical studies, and, ultimately, our canons.”
—Melissa Girard, Poetry Popular Culture
— -
"For a lucid and thorough 'real-world' analysis of the movement from the ground-up--including its history, aesthetics, and culture, there is surely no better place to start than Somers-Willett's trailblazing book." - Jerome Sala, Pleiades
— -
"While framing her discourse within the work of scholars such as Goffman, Butler, and Austin, Somers-Willett manages to open up an important discussion on both the way in which identity is performed by minoritarian subjects on stage, and how these performances of self are subsequently received by audiences. In this way, the book represents a significant contribution to work on the politics of reception and performance."
—Karen Jaime, E-Misférica
— Karen Jamie, E-Misférica
"In The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry, Susan B.A. Somers-Willett offers both insight into slam poetry method and culture and a respectful yet critical analysis of the functions of slam poetry in the performance, commercial, and sociopolitical arenas."
—Marie Fleischman Timbreza, MELUS Review
— Marie Fleischman Timbreza, See Jane Run Productions, MELUS Review
"For a lucid and thorough 'real-world' analysis of the movement from the ground-up--including its history, aesthetics, and culture, there is surely no better place to start than Somers-Willett's trailblazing book."
—Jerome Sala, Pleiades
— Jerome Sala, Pleiades
"Anyone looking for an introduction to slam poetry will find Somers-Willett to be a knowledgeable, clear-headed guide. The book is scholarly, but its interdisciplinary approach makes it appropriate for non-specialists and undergraduate students alike. (I will definitely be assigning portions of this work the next time I teach slam poetry).... If Somers-Willett is right about the important cultural stakes of this poetry—and I wholeheartedly believe that she is—then literary scholars need to begin addressing these and other difficult questions. We need to bring slam poetry into our classrooms, our critical studies, and, ultimately, our canons."
—Melissa Girard, Poetry Popular Culture
— Melissa Girard, Poetry & Popular Culture
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Introduction: Slam and the Search for Poetry’s Great Audience
1. On Page and Stage: Slam Poetry as a Genre
2. Poetry and the People: The Cultural Tensions of American Popular Verse in Performance
3. I Sing the Body Authentic: Slam Poetry and the Cultural Politics of Performing Identity
4. "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
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry: Race, Identity, and the Performance of Popular Verse in America
by Susan Somers-Willett
University of Michigan Press, 2010 Paper: 978-0-472-05059-8 eISBN: 978-0-472-02708-8 Cloth: 978-0-472-07059-6
How do slam poets and their audiences reflect the politics of difference?
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Susan B. A. Somers-Willett is a decade-long veteran of slam and teaches creative writing and poetics as an Assistant Professor of English at Montclair State University. She is the author of two books of poetry, Quiver and Roam.
REVIEWS
“Anyone looking for an introduction to slam poetry will find Somers-Willett to be a knowledgeable, clear-headed guide. The book is scholarly, but its interdisciplinary approach makes it appropriate for non-specialists and undergraduate students alike. (I will definitely be assigning portions of this work the next time I teach slam poetry).... If Somers-Willett is right about the important cultural stakes of this poetry—and I wholeheartedly believe that she is—then literary scholars need to begin addressing these and other difficult questions. We need to bring slam poetry into our classrooms, our critical studies, and, ultimately, our canons.”
—Melissa Girard, Poetry Popular Culture
— -
"For a lucid and thorough 'real-world' analysis of the movement from the ground-up--including its history, aesthetics, and culture, there is surely no better place to start than Somers-Willett's trailblazing book." - Jerome Sala, Pleiades
— -
"While framing her discourse within the work of scholars such as Goffman, Butler, and Austin, Somers-Willett manages to open up an important discussion on both the way in which identity is performed by minoritarian subjects on stage, and how these performances of self are subsequently received by audiences. In this way, the book represents a significant contribution to work on the politics of reception and performance."
—Karen Jaime, E-Misférica
— Karen Jamie, E-Misférica
"In The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry, Susan B.A. Somers-Willett offers both insight into slam poetry method and culture and a respectful yet critical analysis of the functions of slam poetry in the performance, commercial, and sociopolitical arenas."
—Marie Fleischman Timbreza, MELUS Review
— Marie Fleischman Timbreza, See Jane Run Productions, MELUS Review
"For a lucid and thorough 'real-world' analysis of the movement from the ground-up--including its history, aesthetics, and culture, there is surely no better place to start than Somers-Willett's trailblazing book."
—Jerome Sala, Pleiades
— Jerome Sala, Pleiades
"Anyone looking for an introduction to slam poetry will find Somers-Willett to be a knowledgeable, clear-headed guide. The book is scholarly, but its interdisciplinary approach makes it appropriate for non-specialists and undergraduate students alike. (I will definitely be assigning portions of this work the next time I teach slam poetry).... If Somers-Willett is right about the important cultural stakes of this poetry—and I wholeheartedly believe that she is—then literary scholars need to begin addressing these and other difficult questions. We need to bring slam poetry into our classrooms, our critical studies, and, ultimately, our canons."
—Melissa Girard, Poetry Popular Culture
— Melissa Girard, Poetry & Popular Culture
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Introduction: Slam and the Search for Poetry’s Great Audience
1. On Page and Stage: Slam Poetry as a Genre
2. Poetry and the People: The Cultural Tensions of American Popular Verse in Performance
3. I Sing the Body Authentic: Slam Poetry and the Cultural Politics of Performing Identity
4. "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
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
![](https://www.bibliovault.org/thumbs/978-0-8093-3768-2-thumb.jpg "Gilbert Austin's "Chironomia" Revisited: Sympathy, Science, and the Representation of Movement")
