Slam poetry is also a form of performing art called performance poetry where participants recite their work or other slam poetry examples in under three minutes. They are judged by the audience to either progress further into the competition or not. Each time they perform they use a new piece. The poet with the highest score in the finals usually walks away with the kudos and a cash prize!
In this article, we will answer your question: what is slam poetry and also offer a guide on how to go about writing and performing slam poems, especially if you want to highlight a particular cause or social injustice on YouTube, Instagram or Facebook.
Who Started Performance Poetry?
Slam poems, which are influenced by free verse, are one genre within many different types of poetry. In addition to your search to answer what is slam poetry, you may be wondering where and how it all began. To answer that, look no further than Beat Generation slam poetry examples like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.
Performance poetry took off during the ’80s when open-mic meetings were arranged in cafés of cities like San Francisco and New York.
In researching the questions, who and what is slam poetry, it would be worth looking at Chicago-based, Marc Kelly Smith, also known as “Slampapi” who has been credited as one of the founders of the performance poetry. His opinion was that traditional poetry was way too high-brow which is why he developed a more loose, more accessible poetry medium. Marc Kelly Smith to Slam Poetry is profound considering that in 1990 he founded the first National Poetry Slam in Chicago which is an annual competition that unearths the best slam poetry examples available and still goes on today.
Another driving force to make slam poetry so popular was the 2002 – 2007 TV show “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry.” Besides providing a voice for many up-and-coming poets, the series showcased slam poetry examples of well-known artists like Nikki Giovanni, Sonya Sanchez, and The Last Poets and Sonya Sanchez.
The Difference Between Slam Poems and Traditional Poems
So what is slam poetry when compared to traditional poetry? The difference is easy to spot: one is written, but with the intention of being spoken or performed out loud, while the other is only for the page!
Slam poems are destined to be performed in front of an audience. The words chosen for slam poems are specifically selected for the way they will sound when spoken. This is not a factor that traditional poets need to take into account.
Rhyming schemes and rhythm of hip-hop music can make great slam poetry examples. In these, you will notice how the poet plays around with pace through speed, pauses, and volume to create the drama. Unlike traditional poetry, performance poetry has no other rule than that it should be heard and performed.
When examining slam poetry examples, you will notice that they are often political. The slam poet is unafraid of broaching intense or heavy subjects. It is not uncommon to hear about topics like gender, race, discrimination, religion, sexuality or class at a good poetry slam!
Slam poems with their provocative topics are designed to evoke emotion and make the audience think.
If becoming a slam poet is your ambition, bear in mind that because the audience is the one to judge the contest, the aim is to make them laugh, cry, gasp or react in some way.
By comparison with traditional poetry, slam poetry is more accessible because it appeals to everyone and not just the academic elite. It engages the audience, elicits more emotion, and is designed to make people consider important current topics. It plays with sound and is easily comparable to hip-hop which opens it up to so many more people than just those who enjoy traditional poetry.
The beauty about performance poetry is that similarly to free verse, anyone can be a slam poet. There is no need to have a Master’s in English Literature, you just need to have a good message.
Slam Poems About Feminism
Since its inception slam poetry has been used to express feelings of outrage towards economic, political, social, and racial injustices within the society of the day.
There are many slam poetry examples on topics of feminism especially with regards to powerful movements like #timesup and #metoo. Slam is certainly a tool used by many to express the struggles and discrimination faced by women in general today.
Here are some of our favourite slam poetry examples:
"What Guys Look for in Girls” by Savannah Brown
“You’re worth so much more than your waistline.
You’re worth the beautiful thoughts you think,
and the daring dreams you dream,
undone and drunk off alcohol of being.
But sometimes we forget that.”
"Feminism” by Ashia Ajani, Tolu Obiwole, Abby Friesen-Johnson, and Alexis Rain Vigil
“Before I am a woman, I am black.
[But] women and color should not have to surrender to each other.”
“She Said” by Amir Sulaiman
“I know that being a man is more than being male,
and I’m focused on doing it right.”
“I Think She Was A She” by Leyla Josephine
“I would’ve supported her right to choose.
To choose a life for herself, a path for herself.
I would’ve died for that right like she died for mine.
I’m sorry, but you came at the wrong time.”
Create a Slam Poem of Your Own
Follow these tips to make your poems stand out from the rest.
- Do your research. To know a bit more about what it truly takes to create effective slam poetry you need to watch it as it is being performed. You could find poetry slam at your local bookstore, pub, coffee shop. If not, check out YouTube to find a plethora of content that is bound to make an impression on you. Make notes about the things that you really like.
- Choose a topic. Identify a person, event, or issue that elicits either positive or negative emotion in you. It may be a political topic that you feel strongly about, or perhaps you recently had your heart broken. Maybe you are determined to educate an audience on a topic that you feel has not received enough attention. Whatever it is, ask yourself if it has meaning to you because when you are fired up your message will be powerful.
- Transfer your feelings to paper. Write down how you feel when you consider your chosen topic. You should aim to paint a vivid image through your words so try to include as many words as you can. Arrange your words into short verses or stanzas that have a rhythmic feel to them.
- Edit your poem out aloud. Your poem should flow so if you find yourself stumbling over words, why not change them or move them around? You could also use a thesaurus to find interesting synonyms to make your piece sound extra original.
- Remember it’s a performance. The goal of a slam poem is to elicit an emotional reaction. You want them to audibly react to increase your score in the competition. So always think of ways to increase the drama. Play with different techniques like pacing or changing the volume of your voice. Illustrate your story with body movements and facial expressions.
Once your poem has been committed to paper and you have spent enough time practising it, you will be ready for your first slam! Try using social media to enquire whether there are any in your area.
Bear in mind that most slam events will not require that you memorise your poem, but you may prefer to. Having said that, when you don’t have that paper in your hand, you will be able to express yourself even more through your body movement. Not only that, you can make direct eye contact at all times with your audience which is very powerful indeed. All of this will help your score.
Who knows if slam poetry is your thing, you could well be interested in funny limericks or Japanese style haikus too. Don’t write off the more traditional style poems like epic poetry or the sonnets penned by Shakespeare. As a lover of slam, you will definitely relate to free verse and probably even ballads that translate so well into music too.
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