Hello there! And welcome to National Poetry Month!
I know you’re excited about this, especially as we all need something inspiring during this time of physical distancing. To help you celebrate, I’m going to be posting a little more frequently this month, all things poetry! So whether you’re a poetry fan, or someone who wants to be a poetry fan (there are no other categories of people that I know of) I’m here to help!
I want to present to you some different forms of poetry – maybe some you’ve never experienced before. I want to take you behind the finished poem to a poet’s process and show you how this kind of writing is done. I want to introduce you to some poets I follow and whose work I love – hoping you will love them too.
You already know that the kind of poetry I write (and read) is what I would call “accessible.” Maybe it’s all the years I spent writing business reports that had to be clear to all readers, especially because I was always writing about new computer systems and how they were about to affect day-to-day office work at every level of an organization. (Anyone out there remember “Office Automation”? 1980s and ’90s, that’s my vintage.) Like those reports, I want my poetry to be understandable, to evoke an emotion, and ideally, tell a story.
Does this sound like your kind of poetry too? Good – because I’m not going to force-feed you epic elegies, sonnets, or esoteric modern verse that’s impossible to understand.
I want to start with spoken word poetry. Sarah Kay, whom you’ll meet in the link below, defines spoken word as: “poetry that can’t be contained on a page.” In other words, it must be performed. Out loud. There are actually competitions of spoken word poetry, called “poetry slams.” I hope you get to attend one someday!
Meanwhile, to start off National Poetry Month, please treat yourself to four minutes of spoken word poetry. Afterwards, please let me know what you think! And what other spoken word poems this one prompted you to google! Here is Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye with “When Love Arrives.” ** You’ll have to press “skip ads” first**
Lee Ann
Oh LeeAnne! The only word I understood was “sonnet”. LOL! I’ll stay tuned, maybe I’ll learn something!
Ha ha! I promise it won’t hurt a bit!
Did you like the spoken word poem??
Hi
It did not work for me. When I clicked it took me to facebook and advertising.
Sorry
Pat
Oops – sorry, Pat, this is YouTube, so you’ll have to press “skip ads” in order to be taken to the performance. Let me know if you continue to have problems!
I’ve updated my post to let others know this.
Lee Ann
Loved this. So clever and performed so well. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to seeing more.
Thanks, M2. I thought you’d enjoy this performance!
I think your idea is great! I also looked at the video. Thumbs up to them! What a nice way to express yourself.
I know – so creative! Sarah Kay also has a Ted Talk where she describes how she got her start with spoken word; it’s worth a view:
https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter#t-37549
How interesting and thought provoking I enjoyed this form of poetry very much. It brought thoughts of how love was present in so many different ways in my life.
Thanks
That’s lovely to hear, Teresa! Thank you!