"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

Monday, August 18, 2008

August 7, 2008 - Madison, WI: Round 2, Bout 2

In the second bout, the overall scores were consistently lower, ranging form a 23.2 for the sacrificial poet and a 25.1 for the lowest competitor to a 28.5 for Baltimore’s group piece, which helped Baltimore secure a strong victory. Scores did increase over the course of the night, and pieces of social critique, humanism, and humor did especially well. Particularly memorable was a piece from the Minneapolis team in which the poet talked about his “gangster” life on a rural farm with frequent references to Hip-hop and rap lyrics.

The results:

4. Newport 102.2

3. Minneapolis 106.1

2. Silver City 107.1

1. Baltimore 109.6

The Baltimore team had a very strong performance, and I was excited to see them take first and progress to semifinals. The team presented the following pieces, and further descriptions of them can be found in previous posts:

Ryan: Love Drive II

Kyle: Deangelo/Tattoo

Twain: Dance Poem

Chris Wilson and Chris August: Foodstamps

The Baltimore Slam Team

The topics presented throughout this round included the following:

Art/Performance 1

Geography/Regionalism 1

Homosexuality 1

Literature/Writing 2

Love 3

Nerd 1

Other 1

Politics 2

Pop Culture 1

Race 4

Personal trauma 1

Group pieces 3 Two People, For People, two people

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