 Poetry: May 10, 2006 Issue [#1033] |
  Poetry
This week: Edited by: John~Ashen  
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Poetry! It comes in all styles and meanings. Some poems express personal feelings; others demonstrate a particular pattern. Most of us write some combination in between. I'll be offering advice on different styles and pointing out techniques to improve your poems. Enjoy  --John~Ashen |
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Slam Poetry
A Brief History
Poetry slams began in the mid-80s in lounges which offered 3-5 minutes of open microphone time to any local talent. Competition-wise, the first national slam began in 1990 in San Francisco.
From the start, props and costumes were banned. The words were what mattered. Since the judges were generally a random panel of listeners, contemporary themes and pop culture references dominated the poetry's content.
By the late 1990s, slam performances using the hip-hop style became trendy. The national winners are not usually hip-hop artists, but they still use the same vocal delivery method as in hip-hop music.
Different Types
Most of us are familiar with Poetry Slams as quick contests of freshly-written verse. There are all types of slams, though. Let's see:
Open Slam is what we're all used to. Anyone can enter, any topic.
Theme Slam is when all the entries are of the same theme, genre, or prompt.
Anti-Slam (aka Lowball) is when everyone is trying to do the worst, not the best.
Dead Poet Slam is when entrants perform the poetry of dead poets, not their own material.
King of the Hill or Battle Slam faces off poets against each other, eliminating down to a final matchup. See the movie 8-Mile for great examples.
Oral vs. Written
It is important to remember that slam poems are meant to be performed aloud. When reading them on the computer screen, you must cast aside your normal mindset for evaluating poetry.
Slam poems will rhyme and alliterate excessively. They'll probably jump around topics and use pop culture references that will be forgotten next year. The poems will make plays on words and their sounds, like homophones (words with the same sound but different meaning).
Slam poets, because of their experience, have a large vocabulary of available rhymes and rhythms. This lets them formulate lyrical blocks in their mind which are easily rhymed to or filled in with whatever the current slam topic is. Therefore, they are able to come up with verses seemingly on the spot, to the amazement of crowds and fans. |
Some slam poems I found on the site:
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