1. Example from a Spoken Word Youth Competition
Poetry intended for Performance
Can also be written, but…
Roots are in Oral Traditions and Performance
Often encompasses elements of rap, hip-hop, storytelling, theater, jazz, rock, blues, folk music
Characteristics: Rhyme, Repetition, Improvisation, Word Play
Topics: Social Justice, Politics, Race, Community
Example from a Spoken Word Youth Competition

2. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
Murdoch Burnett
Born 1953
From Canada
Had 10 siblings
Left school at 17 years old to be a Poet
Lives in Bermuda
Murdoch’s work
Gilbert Scott-Heron ( )
Born in Chicago
Grew up in Bronx
Mom – Opera Singer
Dad – professional athlete in Jamaica
Known for his Spoken Word albums in the 1970’s & 80’s
“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”

3. Kevin Coval Born in Chicago
Educated at University of Wales & Ohio University
Co-founder of “Louder Than a Bomb: The Chicago Teen Poetry Festival”
A performance by Coval
“Hip-Hop is poetry. KRS-ONE called himself a poet. Chuck D would send me to the library to look up references he was making in his rhymes. These emcees were consciously participating in and exposing me to an alternative canon of verse in American letters, verse that felt more inclusive of the American experience; a working class narrative, not just dead white dudes getting lost in the woods.”