Spoken word

a cultural history

"A fascinating history of the art form that has transformed the cultural landscape, by one of its influential practitioners, an award-winning poet, professor, and slam champion. 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 theatre. 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 Algar?n, who hosted verse gatherings with legendary figures like Ntozake Shange and Miguel Pi?ero; 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 cafes, schools, and rooms full of strangers all across the world"--Provided by the publisher.

9780525657019
book

Holdings

hidmidmiidnidwidlocation_codelocationbarcodecallnumdeweycreatedupdated
377764670932412113858446977870PYH373PYS0051758808.5 BEN808.516950443851695044385
381069871215132146858446977870VCS431VCS0113199NEW NNF 808.5 BEN808.516950443851695044385
385234771383292185858446977870PIMH386PIMH44540808.5 BEN808.517089634931708963493
389718871780992285858446977870PERH378PERH305498808.5 BEN808.517095678151709567815
389885971794132289858446977870WCOH475T 426230808.5 BEN808.517095678151709567815