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The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry: Race, Identity, and the Performance of Popular Verse in America - Hardcover

 
9780472070596: The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry: Race, Identity, and the Performance of Popular Verse in America
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How slam performers and their audiences reflect the politics of difference? The cultural phenomenon known as slam poetry was born some twenty years ago in white working-class Chicago barrooms. Since then, the raucous competitions have spread internationally, launching a number of annual tournaments, inspiring a generation of young poets, and spawning a commercial empire in which the line between poetry and hip-hop merge. ""The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry"" is the first book to take an in-depth look at slam, shedding light on the relationships that slam poets build with their audiences through race and identity performance, and revealing how poets come to celebrate (and at times exploit) the politics of difference in American culture.With a special focus on African American poets, Susan B. A. Somers-Willett explores the pros and cons of identity representation in the commercial arena of spoken word poetry and, in doing so, situates slam within a history of verse performance, from blackface minstrelsy to Def Poetry. What's revealed is a race-based dynamic of authenticity lying at the heart of American culture. Rather than being just reflections of culture, Somers-Willett argues, slams are culture - sites where identities and political values get publicly re-figured and exchanged between poets and audiences.

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Review:
"For a lucid and thorough 'real-world' analysis of the movement from the ground-up--including its history, aesthetics, and culture, there is surely no better place to start than Somers-Willett's trailblazing book." - Jerome Sala, Pleiades
"Anyone looking for an introduction to slam poetry will find Somers-Willett to be a knowledgeable, clear-headed guide. The book is scholarly, but its interdisciplinary approach makes it appropriate for non-specialists and undergraduate students alike. (I will definitely be assigning portions of this work the next time I teach slam poetry).... If Somers-Willett is right about the important cultural stakes of this poetry--and I wholeheartedly believe that she is--then literary scholars need to begin addressing these and other difficult questions. We need to bring slam poetry into our classrooms, our critical studies, and, ultimately, our canons."--Melissa Girard, Poetry & Popular Culture

"While framing her discourse within the work of scholars such as Goffman, Butler, and Austin, Somers-Willett manages to open up an important discussion on both the way in which identity is performed by minoritarian subjects on stage, and how these performances of self are subsequently received by audiences. In this way, the book represents a significant contribution to work on the politics of reception and performance."
--Karen Jaime, E-Misférica

-- (04/01/2010)

"In The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry, Susan B.A. Somers-Willett offers both insight into slam poetry method and culture and a respectful yet critical analysis of the functions of slam poetry in the performance, commercial, and sociopolitical arenas."
--Marie Fleischman Timbreza, MELUS Review

-- (07/01/2010)

"For a lucid and thorough 'real-world' analysis of the movement from the ground-up--including its history, aesthetics, and culture, there is surely no better place to start than Somers-Willett's trailblazing book."
--Jerome Sala, Pleiades

-- (08/23/2010)

"Anyone looking for an introduction to slam poetry will find Somers-Willett to be a knowledgeable, clear-headed guide. The book is scholarly, but its interdisciplinary approach makes it appropriate for non-specialists and undergraduate students alike. (I will definitely be assigning portions of this work the next time I teach slam poetry).... If Somers-Willett is right about the important cultural stakes of this poetry--and I wholeheartedly believe that she is--then literary scholars need to begin addressing these and other difficult questions. We need to bring slam poetry into our classrooms, our critical studies, and, ultimately, our canons."
--Melissa Girard, Poetry & Popular Culture

-- (04/01/2010)
About the Author:
Susan B. A. Somers-Willett is a decade-long veteran of slam and holds a PhD in American Literature and MFA in Poetry from the University of Texas, where she is currently Publications Editor at the Division of Diversity & Community Engagement. She is the author of Roam, a book of poetry.

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Susan B. A. Somers-Willett
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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. How slam performers and their audiences reflect the politics of difference? The cultural phenomenon known as slam poetry was born some twenty years ago in white working-class Chicago barrooms. Since then, the raucous competitions have spread internationally, launching a number of annual tournaments, inspiring a generation of young poets, and spawning a commercial empire in which the line between poetry and hip-hop merge. ""The Cultural Politics of Slam Poetry"" is the first book to take an in-depth look at slam, shedding light on the relationships that slam poets build with their audiences through race and identity performance, and revealing how poets come to celebrate (and at times exploit) the politics of difference in American culture.With a special focus on African American poets, Susan B. A. Somers-Willett explores the pros and cons of identity representation in the commercial arena of spoken word poetry and, in doing so, situates slam within a history of verse performance, from blackface minstrelsy to Def Poetry. What's revealed is a race-based dynamic of authenticity lying at the heart of American culture. Rather than being just reflections of culture, Somers-Willett argues, slams are culture - sites where identities and political values get publicly re-figured and exchanged between poets and audiences. The cultural phenomenon known as slam poetry was born years ago in white working-class Chicago barrooms. This title looks at slam, shedding light on the relationships that slam poets build with their audiences through race and identity performance, and revealing how poets come to celebrate the politics of difference in American culture. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780472070596

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