Spoken Word: A Cultural History

by Joshua Bennett

A “rich hybrid of memoir and history” ( The New Yorker ) of the literary art form that has transformed the cultural landscape, by one of its influential practitioners, an award-winning poet, professor, and slam champion

“Bennett…transport[s] us back to the city blocks, bars, cafes and stages these artists traversed and inhabited…an instructive text for young poets, artists or creative entrepreneurs trying to find a way to carve out a space for themselves…Shines with a refreshing dynamism.” — The New York Times

In 2009, when he was twenty years old, Joshua Bennett was invited to perform a spoken word poem for Barack and Michelle Obama, at the same White House "Poetry Jam" where Lin-Manuel Miranda declaimed the opening bars of a work-in-progress that would soon revolutionize American theater. That meeting is but one among many in the trajectory of Bennett's young life, as he rode the cresting wave of spoken word through the 2010s. In this book, he goes back to its roots, considering the Black Arts movement and the prominence of poetry and song in Black education; the origins of the famed Nuyorican Poets Cafe in the Lower East Side living room of the visionary Miguel Algarín, who hosted verse gatherings with legendary figures like Ntozake Shange and Miguel Piñero; the rapid growth of the "slam" format that was pioneered at the Get Me High Lounge in Chicago; the perfect storm of spoken word's rise during the explosion of social media; and Bennett's own journey alongside his older sister, whose work to promote the form helped shape spaces online and elsewhere dedicated to literature and the pursuit of human freedom.

A celebration of voices outside the dominant cultural narrative, who boldly embraced an array of styles and forms and redefined what—and whom—the mainstream would include, Bennett's book illuminates the profound influence spoken word has had everywhere melodious words are heard, from Broadway to academia, from the podiums of political protest to cafés, schools, and rooms full of strangers all across the world.

Genres: Poetry, History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Writing, Pop Culture, Essays

304 pages, Hardcover

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

Joshua Bennett received his Ph.D. in English from Princeton University. He also holds an M.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Warwick, where he was a Marshall Scholar. In 2010, he delivered the Commencement Address at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with the distinctions of Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude.

Winner of the 2015 National Poetry Series, Dr. Bennett has received fellowships from the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop, Cave Canem, the Josephine de Karman Fellowship Trust, and the Ford Foundation. His writing has been published or is forthcoming in Boston Review, Callaloo, The Kenyon Review, Poetry and elsewhere. He has recited his original work at venues such as the Sundance Film Festival, the NAACP Image Awards, and President Obama’s Evening of Poetry and Music at The White House. He is currently a member of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University.

Reviews

[Dona's Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the author Joshua Bennett, publisher Alfred A. Knopf, and as always NetGalley, for a review digital copy of SPOKEN WORD: A CULTURAL HISTORY.

I need a glass of water because this text is dry.

The information contained within is interesting enough, but the delivery is difficult to consume. It reads like the worst of college textbooks-- piles of facts upon facts upon facts. I appreciate that this is technically a historical text, but it doesn't seem to appreciate the beauty of the artistic form it's surveying. It's too preoccupied with legitimizing it. And it's a shame, because Bennett shares some phenomenal work within this text, but never comments on it.

With rare exception, I struggled to connect with this text. As a poet and a fan of spoken word, I'm surprised this is the case.

Rating: 📓📓.5 / 5 text books
Recommend? Only for lit history fans
Finished: February 7 2023
Read this if you like:
📜 History
✒️ Poetry
🗣 Spoken word

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Equal parts cultural history and memoir, Dr. Joshua Bennett's Spoken Word: A Cultural History takes us on a journey into the history of the form. I have a mixed relationship with spoken word and slam poetry. I like the concept of it, but sometimes the execution can fall flat for my personal tastes. This book addresses the myth that it's too confrontational and difficult to swallow, which I found interesting. This book has a strong start in the first two parts, which focus on Nuroricans and the foundations of Slam Poetry and the Black Arts Movement. I was deeply invested in those two parts, but then it fizzles out at the end. I don't like to "rate" memoirs because it feels strange to do so, but I didn't really enjoy the part of this book that felt more like a memoir. Still, I was looking for something to give me a quick education on the spoken word, our oldest form of "literature," and I was not disappointed. This is more like a 3.5.

[Craig Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the definitive history of spoken word/slam, but a useful and insightful introduction from a scholar who's also a long-time insider. Definitely wanted more detailed takes on what makes spoken word compelling--the book tends towards the kinds of abstractions that sometimes frustrate me about slam. But I don't know a better intro and that's worth the read.

[Julia Mattis · Rating 4 out of 5]

ironically included a typo for the word “september” in a section about publishing, but overall a pretty interesting read.

[Reinier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deel 1: ***** dit was de echte geschiedenis

Deel 2: **** dit is de geschiedenis van Slam

Deel 3: *** dit was vooral autobiografisch en daarom voor mij niet zo boeiend

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was obsessed with the HBO series Brave New Voices when it came out in 2009. I've never written or performed spoken word but I've been to many slams and experienced Friday Night Slam at the Nuyo. I really appreciated this history and learned a lot. Also it was a great listen on audio.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who was enthralled by slam poetry in the early 2010s, I really enjoyed Spoken Word. Joshua Bennett goes back to slam poetry’s origins in the Black Arts movement to the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and ending on Amanda Gorman’s performance at the 2021 presidential inauguration. I’d recommend anyone that picks this up to take their time with it and watch some performances of the poets mentioned.

[Stephen Kearse]

"Bennett, a repeat slam champion who writes poetry and criticism, has intimate knowledge of his subject but approaches it with humility and imagination. He threads research, interviews, autobiography, and close readings of poems and related texts into a nonlinear jaunt through the spoken word archives. Perhaps in deference to prior books, such as Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s Words in Your Face (2007) and Susan B. A. Somers-Willett’s The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry (2009), he does not attempt an exhaustive account. He’s more interested in highlighting the genre’s radical and communal roots and views history as a means of rekindling that rebellious upbringing. “I hope to reclaim the political ethos and persistent dreaming of a moment that is both part of our shared past and still among us,” he writes, alluding to the legacy of activism in spoken word circles. Even readers who don’t share Bennett’s political investment in spoken word will appreciate his use of our and us, which underscores the welcoming spirit of his project. At its core, his history invites readers to appreciate spoken word's myriad contributions to the arts, community organizing, and self-expression. Its culture, as he shows, surrounds everyone."

full review: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/arti...

[MH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bennett isn't trying to write a comprehensive history (the Beats, for example, are barely mentioned, outside of Ginsberg making a wisecrack about Amiri Baraka), instead it's a very personal look at spoken word performance and, mostly, poetry slams. This can be a bit frustrating - he constantly insists that poetry slams are about community rather than competition, but that comes across as a little hollow: he only interviews or writes about his friends who are winners, and at one point briefly mentions how his team once lost and immediately appealed to the judges, where their loss was overturned and the other team was eliminated on a technicality - I'd like to have heard more about that, and how he squares that with the ethos of community. Bennet is a fine, thoughtful writer, and there are some interesting ideas about performance versus literature (it feels very telling that so many of the slam competitors are actors), at one point writing about the joy of three minutes on stage where you can be whoever you want to be (which feels at odds with his insistence that spoken word is an honest vehicle for truth). It's a readable look at an artistic subculture through one man's eyes, but I really wish these contradictions were acknowledged or explored.

[Seb Swann · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Spoken word, these conversations remind me, removes the distance between us. It brings the writer and reader face-to-face. Rather than the book, or the sentence, or the written line being the unit of transmission, it is the human voice of the authors themselves, right there in front of you, saying, "I wrote this. I memorized this, and agonized over it, and practiced it for hours, including during the walk here, for the express purpose of sharing it with you." Now we've built this unwieldy machine together. Consciousness to consciousness, against the threat of the ticking clock."

Read this if you want to learn more about spoken word, it's history, influence, and practitioners.

StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews...

[Jolena Podolsky]

A phenomenal, informative read on the history of spoken word. I would’ve really enjoyed this during my undergrad (I was a poetry major). Bennett weaves his personal life and perspective with milestones in the spoken poetry community. I especially enjoyed learning about the “Nuyorican” (New York Puerto Rican) impact in the poetry community.

While there were times that the writing made me put down the book, the topic itself was interesting enough to keep me focused. Poets should definitely give this book a read. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully comprehensive and thoughtful biography of the spoken word scene. It ventures from the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York and the birth of slam itself, The Green Mill in Chicago to social media and Youtube. Author Joshua Bennett, an acomplished performing poet himself, keeps the book grounded. He writes from what he knows and where he's been in the scene and brilliantly incorporates interviews and research. Essential for fans and writers of spoken word as well as being a great history books for teen writers.

[Nelly Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an arc of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I am glad I pushed through because there is so much information packed into this book. That being said I did take off a star because it took me a long time and some of the chronology was a little jarring.
I think this would be a great read, and much easier, for someone with more background info on the subject. When I got to the section on Button I started flying through because I have a lot of experience with their videos and company.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to AA Knopf, Sir Josh Bennett, and Little Free Library for the book, Spoken Word. This is a scholarly, non-fiction book on the cultural development and impact of the spoken word. He has done an excellent job in sharing his research in a very readable and interesting format, particularly if you are an English or History major or even a drama major. I could see how this information would be so interesting to those in those fields. Great job!

[Siobhan Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

NYT Notable Books 2023: 50/100

While this was an interesting topic, I found Bennett's delivery to be a bit dry and dense at points. There was so much content and it just was covered in a way that felt very much like a textbook. While I loved Bennett's insertions of his personal experiences and history with spoken word, it wasn't enough to make the book feel less dry. I still enjoyed it since the topic was interesting, but I just wish the book had felt less dense.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

My hopes for this book were high, but I just wasn’t able to engage with it. It felt more like a memoir of the authors personal experiences, which wasn’t what I was expecting. I just found it difficult to follow, which may well have been a me thing. The topic is very interesting though.

[Chris]

Thanks for the free advance copy.
I didn't read the whole thing, so I don't think I qualify to rate it.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent introduction to the history of such an explosive and diverse piece of performance

[Ryan Schmidt]

Favorite quote: “Until you have seen a deaf girl dance you know nothing of passion.”

[Brittany Murhammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't finish this book as it wasn't for me. Seems like a thorough history of how spoken word became so popular.

[Weckea · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a cultural history of spoken word, this book isn't quite there yet; it needed more time in the research and writing phases. However, the book that should have been written is in the epilogue.

[Rick Mathis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good overview of the poetry slam phenomenon.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life-changing, educational, inspirational! A perfect combination of history and personal narrative

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. This is an important history and told well. It is inspiring - it gets my brain thinking better - and noticing where the energy is around me with young people and language. The author does a magnificent job of telling the truth, laying the groundwork, and telling a complicated story. It’s beautiful.

[Sara Moses · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish there was a lot more poetry in this cultural history and less listing of who's who in the spoken word scene.