Spoken Word Poetry

PROJECT:

Spoken Word Poetry

What Is Spoken Word Poetry? Spoken word poetry, or performance poetry, is poetry that is intended to be performed. It combines elements of traditional poetry, hip-hop, rap, storytelling and theatre. A live performance of one of these poems can stay with you long after it is over. Performance poetry usually deals with topics such as social issues, politics, class, race and community. In Ireland, we have a proud tradition of poetry, from our ancient seanchaí to our present-day poets. We are respected around the world for our brilliant poets through the generations. We also now have a great tradition of spoken word poetry. In this project, you will watch and appreciate some of the stars of the Irish spoken-word scene and have a go at writing and performing some spoken word poetry yourself. PROJECT BRIEF Experience and appreciate the genre of spoken word poetry. Using the examples as a stimulus, create and perform some spoken word poetry about an issue or topic you are passionate about. To be successful in this piece of writing, you will need to: show appreciation for spoken word poetry through thoughtful group discussion create a thought-provoking spoken word poem using a variety of poetic techniques perform your spoken word poem clearly, with confidence and fluency. Watch Discuss PerformWrite ©The Educational Company of Ireland

Watching Spoken Word Poetry

Watch the video performances of some spoken word poetry: ‘Not Like Other Girls’ by Natalya O’Flaherty edco.ie/p8y2 ‘My Ireland’ by Stephen James Smith edco.ie/63qq ‘Still’ by Felispeaks aka Felicia Olusanya edco.ie/9mb4 1 What did you think were the messages behind each of these poems? 2 How did you feel after watching each of these performances? What mood were you left in? 3 Do you like the effect of combining the visual images and the spoken word poetry? Why? Why not? 4 Which was your favourite performance and why? Writing Per formance Poetry 1 Choose a topic: think of something you feel passionately about. This could be a social issue like homelessness, child poverty, climate change, social media or racism. It could also be something from your own life experience – maybe a person who influenced you growing up or something you’ve always been afraid of. If you like, you could use one of the poems you have watched as a source of inspiration –maybe you would like to write about your Ireland. 2 Write the gateway line: this is your poem’s main idea. It lets the audience know what you’re going to be talking about. While your first line prepares viewers for your subject matter, the rest of the poem should be spent reinforcing, supporting and expanding on that initial idea. Listen to the poems again to see how those poets develop their poems from their initial idea. 3 Use repetition: use your gateway line throughout the poem. Think of it as a chorus line in a song – something you keep returning to in order to emphasise the message of your poem. 4 Paint with words: try to use similes, metaphors and personification to paint a picture for your audience. These are good techniques to use to allow your audience to experience what you are experiencing. 5 Sound: think about the fact that a spoken word poem is supposed to be performed. That means that the sound of the poem is very important. You could try using alliteration, assonance or onomatopoeia to make your poem sound good. 6 Free verse: a spoken word poem does not need to stick to the strict structures or rhyme schemes of traditional poems. It should flow from one idea to the next as if you are telling a story. Per form Your Poem If you are feeling brave enough, you could perform your poem. You could do this in one of two ways: perform it live for your class or create a video of your performance, like the examples you have watched.©The Educational Company of Ireland