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In the Face of Revolution: Reflection on ?The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip-Hop and the Poetry of a New Generation?. |
The Spoken Word Revolution culls an array of spoken word poets whose autobiographies alone read like a future Spoken Word Hall of Fame. It can be inferred to some extent that the publishers might have attempted to use the authors’ notoriety to their advantage to create not only a collection that functions to preserve the art form, but also, and perhaps more importantly, as a primer for the current state of this art. If one is to contemplate all the objectives associated with the release of a book of this magnitude, it is by this sole purpose then-a primer for the uninitiated-that this collection functions most effectively. Mark Eleveld (Editor), already a well-respected figure in the poetry community, only enhances such respect among his peers with his dedication to creating this well thought out, professional endeavor. Marc Smith (Advisor), creator of the poetry slam, had little to gain with the involvement of such a project except to allow us to continue to appreciate his pivotal role in this genre. As for most of the poets featured in this collection, many easily overshadow this project with their current or previous stand-alone work. How else, then, does one explain best the purpose of this book if not as a current compendium for the art form?
This is not to say that The Spoken Word Revolution is not without the celebration of such art form as well. It is a celebration that covers the introspection of the human spirit be it through the exploration of the inner self or through its social surroundings. And it is here the value of this book lies. Each poet and respective featured work, when placed among the rest, creates a resounding message: the art form in the hands of talent with the expressive foresight as the featured poets showcased light a path so well defined it provides the reader with a sort of nourishment of inspiration and motivation. What springs from this nourishment depends on the reader’s intention, but one thing is certain in the reader’s mind after exploring this body of work: spoken word continues to be an essential form of artistic expression for the human spirit.
Includes works by:
Patricia Smith
Saul Williams
Billy Collins
Luis J Rodriguez
Sherman Alexie
Taylor Mali
Jack McCarthy
“The Spoken Word Revolution: A collection of Slam, Hip-Hop and The Poetry of a New Generation.” Sourcebooks, Inc. (Sourcebooks.com) ISBN: 1402200374 April 2003. 256p. Index.
copyright 2004
Francisco
Dominguez |
