Spoken Word

October 1, 2022

Slam champion and all-'round astonishing poet Bennett investigates the roots of the spoken-word phenomenon in the Black Arts movement and Black culture, then moves on to the influential Nuyorican Poets Caf�, the growth of slam, and the helping hand lent by social media. Dartmouth professor Bennett grounds his writing in scholarship; poet Bennett grounds his writing in a lifetime's journey with his art. Look for his new LJ -starred collection The Study of Human Life.

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February 1, 2023
How performance poetry evolved. Bennett, a Dartmouth English professor and poet who counts Guggenheim and National Endowment of the Arts fellowships among his many honors, traces the widespread cultural influence of spoken word poetry, from its 20th-century beginnings in New York to its 21st-century proliferation in digital media. Melding archival sources, autobiographical reflections, and "interviews with living legends in the field of poetry and performance," the author traces the 50-year history of a vibrant literary form whose most prominent figures have been Black and brown poets, including Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, and Nikki Giovanni. A highlight of Bennett's career came in 2009, when he was invited to recite a poem at the Obama White House. Asked to respond to the theme of communication, the nervous University of Pennsylvania undergraduate chose an ode about his relationship with his older sister, who is deaf, "and by extension my relationship to ASL, which I had struggled to learn as a child." It was his first professional performance but not the first time he performed before an audience. That came in 1999, when he was 11 and his mother insisted that he enter a poetry slam--a competition among poets--at his local library; he won second place. Bennett underscores the importance of clubs, cafes, poetry slams, and open mics in providing opportunities for spoken word poets to share their work and discover a sense of community. He profiles many individuals who have devoted themselves to fostering that community, such as Miguel Algarin, co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe; and Marc Smith, who began a performance competition at the Get Me High Lounge in Chicago in 1984 that evolved, by 1990, into the National Poetry Slam. Bennett sees TV (the series Def Poetry ran for six seasons), video, and the internet as positive forces, allowing new audiences to experience the energy and intensity of performance poetry. A well-researched, invigorating celebration of a spirited art form.

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March 1, 2023
A talented poet in his own right, Bennett (Owed, 2020) turns his attention to tracing the lineage and celebrating the impact of spoken word poetry in the U.S. His journey flows from puertorrique�o originator Miguel Algar�n's living room on the Lower East Side (the earliest iteration of the iconic Nuyorican Poets Caf�) to the Get Me High Lounge on Chicago's North Side (itself a precursor to the city's renowned Green Mill) and lands on the screens and virtual spaces of today. Composed in dynamic, interlocking scenes, the story unfolds effortlessly despite the scholarly rigor and research evident in the writing. Bennett threads in his own personal experiences, such as the invitation, while still an undergraduate, to perform at the White House for President Obama. Scans of original posters, programs, and photographs from these early days complement excerpts from the poems themselves, which pop and echo off the page. Bennett succeeds in his efforts to ""reclaim the political ethos and persistent dreaming"" of spoken word poetry's bright past and brighter future.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 27, 2023
In this immersive blend of cultural history and memoir, poet Bennett (The Sobbing School) traces the development of spoken-word poetry from the Black Arts Movement to the present day. He begins by recounting how he was invited—after appearing in an HBO documentary about a poetry slam competition—to read one his poems in front of a White House audience including President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. The moment launched his career as a professional writer and poet, and Bennett follows the recollection with a look back at the career origins of Miguel Algarin, founder of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, a legendary poetry venue that grew out of Algarin’s living room in New York City’s Lower East Side, and whose concept was influenced the Black Arts Repertory Theater/School, a Black Arts Movement collective founded in 1965 by Amiri Baraka. After spoken word’s emergence in the 1960s as a democratic “vehicle for liberatory politics” and a space for diverse and marginalized voices, the burgeoning slam scene in the 1990s added a competitive edge, and today groups like Button Poetry, a hybrid YouTube channel and publisher, are helping to make “the future of the genre... even brighter.” Bennett’s enthusiasm for the subject leaps off the page, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of poetry and making clear how important the collective is to its progress. It’s a spirited introduction to a vibrant art form.