Spoken Word: The Art Of Spoken, Performed Poetry

When I first got interested in Spoken Word Poetry I started off on a poet called Andrea Gibson. I found Andrea through a friend of mine who lives quite a while away from me.

She sent me a poem of hers called “The Nutritionist”. In this poem, Andrea talks about her sadness. She starts off on how different people tried to diagnose this and they failed.
One professional told her even to not write the poem. But she did. She wrote about a boy who committed suicide by jumping off a bridge.

In that moment I found myself getting more and more interested in this woman and eventually after I had discovered Sarah Kaye, the art they practiced.

I had written poems long before I even knew about Spoken Word Poetry. Long before I even knew about performing my poems. But, eventually this curiosity became a passion.

It was around this time that I saw Sarah Kaye's TED Talk (please see video underneath), where she spoke about Spoken Word in such a magnificent way. She told of her story of how she started, how her life now completely revolves around it. She even teaches it at some schools and programs.

Along with this video I would also like to share a video of another TEDx Talk by a friend of Sarah's, Phil.

In this video, Phil talks about how he taught Spoken Word Poetry in a Maximum Security Prison, and the opportunity he had as a poet to help these men grow.

The effect that this had on several people, is almost astounding. We as normal writers, especially on websites and platforms like Steemit, don't realize that the emotions we put into our writing, the amazing dedication we have can actually be expressed verbally.

In my personal experience, when I write, I can hear my own voice in my head, I can hear the words and the way I mean to say these words.

Now, imagine actually saying it out loud.

Saying it in front of actual people. In front of an actual audience.

It's a scary thought. But, this is what Spoken Word Poetry artists like Sarah Kaye, Phil Kaye, Andrea Gibson, Neil Hilborn etc., do.

They put their hearts on their sleeves to carry around wherever they go and then they shout it out to the world over a microphone on stage.

This is not just something we can watch and enjoy. This is something we can do!

In the words of Dexter Palmer in The Dream Of Perpetual Motion: “It is time to put down the pen; time to clear the throat. Speaking is a different thing altogether from writing. The spoken word has different properties, and different powers. If I have learned anything from writing down my own tale, it is this.”

In South Africa, we not permitted to express ourselves this way. There is no Spoken Word Poetry Clubs in the area I stay in, no places you can go.

But, I would like to start a movement in our hearts.

We have nowhere to express ourselves, but let us strive to bringing it into our lives.

Those reading this that do have a platform, go to it! Tell your poems, your stories to everyone who will be willing to hear them.

I end this article with the following quote:

“Poetry isn’t an island, it is the bridge.
Poetry isn’t a ship, it is the lifeboat.
Poetry isn’t swimming. Poetry is water.”
― Kamand Kojouri