powerful art form emerged from African American communities in the 1970s and ’80s and exploded into popular culture. Spoken word can be thought of as performance poetry; it typically combines storytelling with intricate wordplay. Spoken word artists offer an exciting extension of traditional public speaking. They don’t seek to “explain” or “persuade” in the manner described in this book. Instead, they tap into a use of language that’s more poetic, more primal; language that can energize, move, inform, and inspire.
