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Listen Up!: Spoken Word Poetry
"Today, the poetry scene flourishes at New York open-mic spots like the Nuyorican Poets Café, Brooklyn's YWCA Tea Party and Harlem's Sugar Shack. Progeny of hip poets--the Beats of the 50s and protest poets of the 60s and 70s--these up-and-coming literati cast their diverse spells of word beats inspiring young contemporaries in Cleveland, Ohio, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta; later branching out internationally to poetry circuit venues in Tokyo, Rio de Janiero, London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Istanbul."--Zoë AngleseyEditor, Listen Up!Spoken word poetry is a cross-cultural phenomenon. Here for the first time in one hot volume are poems from the nation's top spoken word artists. Listen Up! features nine brilliant award-winning scribes who have ignited audiences worldwide with their soulful verse, bold alliterations, and sultry fusion of rhythm and rhyme--electrifying audiences as they chant, sing, recite, and improvise their poetry and powerful point of view.Among these nine literary luminaries are Carl Hancock Rux, named by The New York Times as one of thirty young artists "most likely to change the culture in the next thirty years"; Jessica Care Moore, a record-breaking five-time winner of the Apollo competition; and Saul Williams, co-scriptwriter and star of the feature film Slam, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the prestigious Camera D'Or at Cannes.Packed with penetrating interviews on the craft of writing poetry, insight into the art of performance, and on-target, off-guard photos of the poets in action at history-making poetry slams, this unforgettable collection is the next best thing to being there live.
- GenresPoetry
197 pages, Library Binding
First published March 1, 2001
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April 20, 2012The performance style of Saul Williams, who coscripted and starred in the recent film SLAM, is both demonstrative and mesmerizing. He appears with Jessica Care Moore, Tish Benson, and six other spoken-word poets in Zoe Anglesey’s new anthology of spoken-word poetry. Williams shines alongside Moore, a slam ”black belt“ who has won the Showtime at the Apollo talent contest a record-breaking five times.
Anglesey’s excellent introduction makes a compelling case for slam poetry’s place in the African American literary tradition. Langston Hughes, who based his poetry’s diction, rhythms, and forms on blues and jazz, is an obvious forebear, as is Amiri Baraka, whose involvement in both jazz poetry of the ’50s and the Black Arts movement of the ’70s encouraged him to serve as mentor to several of the poets in Anglesey’s anthology.
Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Koumunyakaa clearly values the work Anglesey collects, having authored the foreword. A ”traditional“ poet whose work pulses with the rhythms of blues and jazz, he sees how slam poetry stands squarely in the middle between mainstream poetry—meant both for the page and the ear—and performance arts, including hip-hop. Thus the criteria for excellence change: Some spoken-word poems ”lie on the page with ease,“ he believes, while ”others can only come alive through the human voice.“
Which isn’t to say that LISTEN UP! has no place on the shelves of sonneteers and Sylvia Plath fans. Indeed, while American poetry will never rival rock, country, or hip-hop in terms of popularity or sales, verse-making and music spring from the same source—as the African American literary tradition has recognized.
Anglesey’s excellent introduction makes a compelling case for slam poetry’s place in the African American literary tradition. Langston Hughes, who based his poetry’s diction, rhythms, and forms on blues and jazz, is an obvious forebear, as is Amiri Baraka, whose involvement in both jazz poetry of the ’50s and the Black Arts movement of the ’70s encouraged him to serve as mentor to several of the poets in Anglesey’s anthology.
Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Koumunyakaa clearly values the work Anglesey collects, having authored the foreword. A ”traditional“ poet whose work pulses with the rhythms of blues and jazz, he sees how slam poetry stands squarely in the middle between mainstream poetry—meant both for the page and the ear—and performance arts, including hip-hop. Thus the criteria for excellence change: Some spoken-word poems ”lie on the page with ease,“ he believes, while ”others can only come alive through the human voice.“
Which isn’t to say that LISTEN UP! has no place on the shelves of sonneteers and Sylvia Plath fans. Indeed, while American poetry will never rival rock, country, or hip-hop in terms of popularity or sales, verse-making and music spring from the same source—as the African American literary tradition has recognized.
April 21, 2009
I think I learned about what real spoken word is... a lot about where it comes from as well as receiving crazy great lessons in the form of poems from some great artists. The only real reason I gave it a 4 was because I was left wanting more... and felt like any publication calling itself an Anthology of Spoken Word could have included more spoken word artists/performers from more places and backgrounds... instead of just New York... maybe I'm not being objective because I'm from The South... but much love to everyone in the book... great read for anyone that likes poetry!
January 8, 2009
Absoulutely loved it. Great for anyone who loves spoken word poetry.
October 31, 2007
WONDER FULL!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews