First off some of you might be thinking what is spoken word? Spoken word is an art. It combines poetry and acting. If it's done right, spoken word can rattle your bones. Spoken word is poetry that can't be left on the page. It needs to be recited in front of an audience. I discovered spoken word when I was a freshman in high school and I fell in love with it very quickly. When you watch someone perform their poetry it gives you an opportunity to look at the way their voice and facial expressions change throughout the piece and gives you an idea of what they felt when they wrote their poem. The most important idea to keep in mind when listening to spoken word is that the writer didn't write their piece to entertain you, they wrote it to make you feel something. I've listened to a countless number of spoken word poems but here are my top 5 that I think everyone should check out.
1. "Pass On" by Michael Lee
This is without a doubt my favorite. You can feel his passion while he's performing. Michael Lee provides us with this amazing idea of looking at death as a form of re-birth. He does a great job of showing us that even when people physically leave this world we can still find traces of them everywhere we go.
2. "Alcatraz of Balloons" by Miles Hodges
Miles Hodges does an amazing job of talking about his part of being a writer while highlighting the hardships that come with it.This not only speaks to future writers and poets,but also speaks to people who want to fulfill their dreams. It expresses the idea that ignored to fulfill your dreams and do what you love you need to be able to look past what other people will think of you.
3."Somewhere in America" by Belissa Escoloedo, Zariya Allen, and Rhiannon McGavin
Just one word for this piece. Wow. These three ladies do an amazing job at highlighting the biggest problems in our society. This one is definitely an eye opener.
4."Dear Straight People" by Denice Frohman
Denice Frogman uses a comedic tone to get her ideas across and she does it very well. She uses her personal experiences of being a gay woman in order to bring bigger problems to light. Poems like this are extremely important because it allows the listeners to to look at things from the writers perspective.
5. "When Love Arrives" by Sarah and Phil Kay
In this poem Sarah and Phil Kay open minds to different ideas of love. This poem contradicts the idea that everyone has in their heads about love. There isn't just one perfect idea of love. Love doesn't mean marriage or beauty and doesn't always show up at the perfect time, it can be whatever you want it to be and can show up whenever it feels like it.
