Examines the cultural aspects of the poetry slam, including the relationships slam poets develop with their audiences through race and identity performance, focusing particularly on African American poets.
Content Note
On page and stage: slam poetry as a genre -- Poetry and the people: the cultural tensions of American popular verse in performance -- I sing the body authentic: slam poetry and the cultural politics of performing identity -- "Commercial niggas like me": spoken word poetry, hip-hop, and the racial politics of going mainstream.