I spend a somewhat shameful amount of time watching YouTube videos. That mostly means random BuzzFeed videos that are just so, you know, #relatable. They also always come in handy when I’m procrastinating and are generally awesome, but today I want to talk about something else, and that’s spoken word poetry.
I’m a big fan of books - I love reading and I admire people who can write well. I especially admire people who can write poetry. However, I also admire people who can appreciate poetry, because I was never one of them. I love a good novel, a non-fiction book and a comic, but a poetry collection? I think I’ll pass. Poetry and I just never clicked. I just never seemed to get it. It makes me impatient - I don't like digging through metaphors and I'm not good at untangling different meanings. Please, poet or poetess, what are you trying to say? Can’t you just be straightforward?!
While there is nothing wrong with disliking something, my utter disinterest in poetry is actually contradictory considering that two people who are very close to me are poets. My dad is a writer, and professionally he writes many different things - but for fun, he writes and publishes his poetry. One of my best friends (shout-out to PUTsy if you’re reading this! And shout-out to dad – I know you’re reading this because I’m sending it to you!) writes poetry and shares it online. I can appreciate both my dad’s and my friend’s writings, and in general I see the literary value of poetry. Like, I get it, T. S. Eliot is kind of a big deal and I should really make an effort to read some of Sylvia Plath’s work, yet, it is very unlikely that I will pick up a book of poetry at my own leisure, and even less, that will I genuinely enjoy it.
Enter spoken word. Enter slam poetry. For some reason, hearing people speak out their work makes all the difference for me. Maybe it’s that spoken word very often deals with what are, for lack of a better word, contemporary topics, towards which I, in my silly millennial ways, have an innate inclination. Maybe it’s the emotion with which these poets perform, which aptly substitutes for the emotion I’m supposed to feel in response to reading a poem on paper. Maybe it’s the message they are conveying, or maybe it’s the passion with which they are conveying it. I’m not sure, but whatever it is, it’s working.
So, here is a list of just some performances I’ve came across since I first discovered spoken word and which I came to love. Whether you are super knowledgeable about this gorgeous art form, or are currently puzzled and have no idea what I’m talking about – I encourage you to listen to some of my favorites. They are listed here in no particular order, and I’m sure you’ll find it easy to appreciate both the beauty of the words and the messages behind them.
1. Sarah Kay's "If I Should Have a Daughter"
Hello, spoken word poetry classic! If you’re into spoken word, but don’t know Sarah Kay, what are you even doing? In fact, even if you’re not a fan of spoken word poetry, you might know her from her TED Talk, at the beginning of which she performed this poem.
2. Amaris Diaz's "Dear Privilege"
Amongst other issues, Amaris addresses sexism, racism, homophobia, misogyny and representation (or lack thereof) by literally constructing the poem as if she is addressing or writing a letter to these problems.
3. Dylan Garity's "Friend Zone"
Dylan is calling bullshit on the “friend zone” and I appreciate it.
4. Dominique Christina's "Crushes Suck and Everybody Knows It"
“Can't you see yourself dangling from the end of my pen? Well, I am waiting to write you down”
In agreement to one of the comments on this video, I didn’t want Dominique's poem to end.
5. Brenna Twohy's "Fantastic Breasts and Where To Find Them"
Brenna had me at Harry Potter references, but I stayed for her beautiful dismantling of the patriarchy and its double standards. She also has a good poem on anxiety, supporting someone who deals with anxiety and how such support can help.
6. Kevin Yang's "How to Love Your Introvert"
Thanks, Kevin, for being #relatable and wanting to help your fellow introverts--myself included--to be better understood.
7. Anthony McPherson's "All Lives Matter: 1800s Edition"
Anthony’s satiric account on the total ridiculousness that is #AllLivesMatter. Brilliant, funny and ultimately heartbreaking.
