Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry [Paperback]

Gary Glazner (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2000

Poetry slams—the Olympics of poetry—have become a cultural phenomenon. This groundbreaking anthology documents 10 years of poetry slams, with 100 poems from national slam champions and a dozen essays on how to run a slam, winning strategies, tips for memorizing poems, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Poems ask only that they be heard, which is the purpose of the slam," Bob Holman says. It has been ten years since Glazner produced the first National Poetry Slam (perhaps best described as a competitive reading), but many poetry enthusiasts remain virtually unaware of the phenomenon. This volume collects an assortment of slam poems and articles about the slams (setting up, judging, becoming participants, and group pieces). Some articles, such as Lisa Martinovic on using props or Daniel S. Solis on slam aesthetics and strategy, are elemental but extremely useful, while Patricia Smith's brilliant piece on persona poetry adds little to the concept of the slam. Adding to the confusion is the growth of the audience for slams and the broadening of their scope to include many poets published by the academy. Are these the same poets whose poems work perfectly well on the page and would not readily be labeled "performance" poetry? Contributors' notes would have been useful. "Good slamming starts with good writing," Solis states, although at times the material here seems closer to stand-up comedy. It's not perfect, but, considering how sparse slam literature is, this book should prove an asset to all poetry collections.DRochelle Ratner, formerly with "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: Manic D Press, Inc.; 1st edition (September 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916397661
• ISBN-13: 978-0916397661
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deborah Edler Brown is an award-winning poet and journalist, performer and storyteller, author and teacher. Her poetry has appeared in various anthologies and journals. She was a long-time reporter for Time magazine and has written articles for numerous publications, including Psychiatric Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, North Shore magazine, and the Detroit Free Press. She is the co-author of Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide for Raising a Second Family (Guilford Press, 1995). Deborah was also the 1997 Head-to-Head Haiku Champion and a member of the 1998 Los Angeles National Slam Team. She holds a degree in Creative Writing from Brown University and was the 2005 recipient of the Sue Saniel Elkind Poetry Prize.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good breaking-in for first time readers, August 18, 2000

By 

Scott Woods (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry (Paperback)

One of the most accesible books around for anyone even remotely interested in poetry. If you've never been to an open mic or a slam, give this one a whirl...it'll make you want to go (and maybe even slip a poem in your pocket before you lock the door). If you've been to an open mic and wondered what else was out there that was like what you just saw, this book captures a great many of those elements for you.

Not just a book of poems, throughout the work are placed a great many essays written by long-time, well-known National slam poets (Taylor Mali, Danny Solis, etc.) about nearly every aspect of reading and performing one's work...a long-overdue codification of information for performing poets at ANY level.

Some of the poems contained within are national favorites, a few legend, but they ALL contain a lesson about performance poetry: that it starts on the page.

A MUST have for any poet who is (or is considering) performing their poetry before audiences in any capacity. A necessary bit of packing for any poet with national aspirations of slamming, touring or just reading.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than Good, August 17, 2000

By 

Gabrielle Bouliane "livepoets.com" (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry (Paperback)

Gary Glazner has accomplished something unprecedented with this collection -- he has produced the first national-level anthology archiving the Poetry Slam as its own form, in a book by, for, and about the participants. As such, it has many of the aspects of Slam itself. The voices in both the poetry and the accompanying essays are diverse and passionate, representing all ages, races, genders and geography that this Poetry Nation has to offer. For anyone interested in learning more or starting their own Poetry Slam, this is a terrific jumpstart, as well as a great collection of favorites for poets and audience members.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Poetry Slam At Home!, August 14, 2000

By 

Amy Helfinger (Auburn, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry (Paperback)

If you've never been to a poetry slam and wonder what all the fuss is about then check out this book! The poetry is great and really strong, the reader can almost hear the voices coming off the page - and the book has essays too which explain the rules and the history and how to start a slam, and travel stories and weird esoteric strategies. This book has a lot in it, not just poems. If you're a poetry slam expert, well then you should write your own book, but if you're like me (just an average poetry-lovin', book-readin' kinda gal) there's stuff in here that's great. Highly recommended!!! PS - I love the cover, too!