"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

Friday, November 28, 2008

Yay!!! Drafted!

I just wanted to celebrate the fact that I'm finished with a legitimate draft of one of the chapters of my Thesis!!! Hooray! In this one, I discuss the nature of communication, body language, the influence of the medium upon the artwork, and the role that the audience plays.

I'll be doing extensive editing yet, but it's incredibly satisfying to be at this point. Now, to edit and see what Prof Wheeler says!
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thesis Time!

Hey all!

It's been ages since I've posted, I know...but life in Lex is busy, and there aren't that many poetry events around. Hahahaa.

I'm actually getting my nose to the grindstone with actual writing this actual break, and I just wanted to celebrate the 16 page milestone! Woot woot! That means I'm roughly half-finished this very ROUGH draft of one of the chapters of the thesis. To give the background, I need to have one chapter finished by the end of this semester (That's roughly 1/3-1/2 of the thesis), and the rest done by the end of winter term.

*Knock on wood* Here it goes... the goal is to get to page 20 tonight, about 30 tomorrow, and then to make it decent writing by the end of break. Here goes...
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