"The HEAD, by way of the EAR, to the SYLLABLE
The HEART, by way of the BREATH, to the LINE”
- Charles Olson


Welcome to my poetry research blog! Here's a little background...

Poetry is, at its heart, a very acoustic phenomenon. Distinguished from prose through its emphasis on the use of sound, namely its distinctive rhythms, meters, and rhyme scheme, the earliest known poetry followed the oral tradition. Among the most famous examples of early poetry are Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” which were transmitted by word of mouth for centuries.

Following the spread of literacy, poetry increasingly became a written form. Though the play of sounds and rhythms were still very important, and though poets gained the ability to use the visual presentation of their poems to shape the meaning of their work, poetry lost much of its performance aspect. However, during the twentieth century, there was a poetic movement that began re-emphasizing the importance of sound and performance in poetry.

This blog will track my research into the developments in performance poetry in the modern United States. My principal focus will be on poetry slams, but I will be investigating all forms of performance poetry. I’m taking a multi-media approach to this research: not only will I be using articles and books, I will also be watching videos, youtube clips, and, most importantly, attending actual Slams. I’m especially excited for the National Poetry Slam in August.

Specifically, here you will find a record of the performance events that I have and intend to attend.

“Sometimes a good slam strategy is to give the audience something they didn’t know they needed until they’ve heard it. Sometimes it’s aesthetic deduction, sometimes it’s angelic inspiration, but it’s always being true to yourself, your teammates, your muse, and your art."
-- Daniel S. Solis

Thursday, April 30, 2009

HOMESTRETCH!

Hooray! I've finished the paper, had both my adviser and a second reader review it, and will be making the final revisions over the next week. Professor Miranda had some great suggestions, and I wish I could more fully follow up on an investigation to the oral tradition in non-western cultures than I'll have time for now. Perhaps in the future...

Anyway, tomorrow, I'll be presenting my thesis along with the other English honors thesis writers. I'm excited for it, and a tad nervous. But it'll be a great way to culminate this project.

Anyway, look for some excerpts soon.
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Monday, March 23, 2009

The End is In Sight!

Hey! So, just a quick update. I handed in the intro and two body chapters last week, and Professor Wheeler is going to review it for me. Afterwards, I'll be working on the conclusion and revisions. The end is in sight!

We had a thesis-group meeting Last Wednesday, focusing on intros and conclusions. It'll definitely help. I'm excited to find out that we actually get our thesis published through campus publishing, and we can distribute copies to family and friends. That'll be cool.
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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Back in Lex

Well, I'm back in Lexington, VA ... so not too terribly much going on, poetry-wise. For new viewers - let me advise you to check out the older posts. I went to a lot of different poetry events this summer, and I've got write-ups for all these awesome readings, open mics, and slams.

Meanwhile, I apologize for how dull the last several posts have been...but, alas, the writing process itself isn't quite as exciting to read about as the actual readings and slams. I'll keep you posted on the thesis progress, though, and any other events that I see.
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