Spoken word
Oral poetic performance art emphasizing sound and live recitation.
Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that emphasizes the aesthetic qualities of the poem and the performer. It is a 20th-century continuation of ancient oral traditions, notably the Greek oral-formulaic tradition, and focuses on recitation, word play, live intonation, and voice inflection. The term encompasses poetry readings, poetry slams, jazz poetry, pianologues, musical readings, hip hop music, comedy routines, and prose monologues, with its quality shaped more by phonaesthetics than by visual page layout.
- Field
- Oral poetic performance art
- Known for
- Live recitation, poetry slams, and fusion with music
- Origins
- Ancient oral traditions, especially Greek oral-formulaic tradition
- Key influences
- Harlem Renaissance, blues, Beat Generation, Civil Rights Movement
Lore & Background
Spoken word has existed long before writing, relying on cycles of practicing, listening, and memorizing. Each language drew on its sound structure for aural patterns that made spoken poetry distinct from ordinary discourse and easier to remember. In ancient Greece, spoken word was the most trusted repository for thought, with rhapsodes using dactylic hexameter as a structural framework for memory and live composition. The ancient Greeks included Greek lyric, similar to spoken-word poetry, in their Olympic Games.
Reader's Guide
Spoken word's significance lies in its continuity of ancient oral traditions into modern performance art. It has been shaped by diverse cultural streams: in Africa, performance poetry dates to prehistorical times with hunting poetry, and griot epics like the Epic of Sundiata were performed with instruments such as the kora and djembe. In the United States, spoken word drew from the Harlem Renaissance, blues, and the Beat Generation, and was influenced by Civil Rights speeches. The poetry slam movement, started by Marc Smith in 1984, and venues like the Nuyorican Poets Café helped popularize the form. Internationally, spoken word has flourished in France, the UK, Zimbabwe, and Trinidad and Tobago, often serving as social commentary. Its legacy includes poets laureate in US states and cities, and its adaptability continues to inspire new generations.
Did You Know?
- The first National Poetry Slam took place in 1990 in Fort Mason, San Francisco.
- In African culture, performance poetry is part of theatrics and was present in all aspects of pre-colonial African life.
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